I Prefer Unique Over Abnormal
by Randomness-is-Awsomeness
Summary: Amu is famous and rich,known by everyone. but no one knows what she looks like. she doesn't let anyone see her eyes or hair. but what happens when she decides to go to public school? who does she meet? who holds her heart? Maybe her art teacher, Ikuto?OOC
1. Chapter 1

She got out of the red Mercedes. The place was empty, but that was for certain reasons. Why? Because she decided to enter from the back of the school. She didn't want to be gawked at all day, now did she?

Hinamori Amu, daughter of the richest man in Japan, Gozen. People said he was pretty twisted, which was almost completely true. I mean, you'll eventually go insane if you live almost your whole life with money as your only company. He had no wife; all the girls he met were greedy and selfish. He wanted someone different, someone unique. But he never found his unique girl. So, by the advice of one of his butlers, he adopted a pink haired baby with golden eyes. After all, a girl with naturally pink hair had to be unique, right? He named her Hinamori Amu, and smothered her with love. He let her take any direction she wanted, as long as it didn't hurt her.

Amu put her hood up, preparing for what was about to come. This year, she decided to go to a public school. She didn't want any of those annoying, preppy uniforms. Her combat boots slapped the ground, black and white ruffled skirt swaying in the slight breeze. Her black and white corset top was covered by a simple skull hoodie.

Usually, people were beyond the point of surprised when they see her. They expect fancy dresses. Her type of dress was a black shredded dress. Beautiful jewelry replaced by chokers and lip piercing, all with crosses on them. Her hair was never neat and beautiful, it was loose and shaggy. Her shoes were never shoes, always some sort of heavy boot. And she never had friends. Why? One, because people think she is way too weird. Second is because the only people who weren't too scared to approach her were like the girls her dad continuously encountered. So, she kept her distance.

But hopefully, this year wouldn't be so bad. I mean, these people had to be different, not affected by millions and billions of dollars.

Slowly, she walked her way up the concrete, gum covered steps. She opened the door slowly, suddenly afraid of the new environment. Eventually the door completely opened, allowing her to walk in and open the next set of doors. She slammed them open, and quickly walked into the hallway. There, greeting her, was the school principle. He wore a gray dress suit, which he looked a little fidgety in. He must not wear dress suits very often.

Internally groaning, she walked over to him and shook his hand. Another boy, trying to worm his way into her good side. That was an automatic bad side action. He walked her down the hallway, stopping at two gymnasium doors. Great. She knew what this meant. She would walk in and the whole school would sit there, awaiting the girl's arrival.

The principle told her to wait right there. She could walk in when one of the teachers would knock on the door. She nodded her head, making sure her hoodie hid her face completely. He walked in, and through the door she could hear him introduce himself as Principle Aruto. He told the room full of teenagers that they were to act on their best behaviors when she was around them. He probably hoped that if she thought this was a good school that she would probably leave a donation for the school. Not gonna happen.

After a few more minutes of blocking out the principles voice, a knock on the door brought her out of the daze she wanted to stay in so bad. Tugging on the hoodie to double check, she kicked the door open with her foot. She heard all the kids jump out of shock. She stomped in, the stares on her back making her irritable. She avoided the steps leading to the stage and just put her hand on the stage's floor and jumped onto it with no effort. Head still bowed, she walked over to the microphone and stared at it. Eventually, she grabbed the microphone and said "Can't wait for classes to start." Once that was said, she jumped off the stage and walked out of the gym. She purely hated making big speeches.

She wandered the hallways, not caring where she ended up. Sure, she could just ditch the school, but Amu was no quitter. She would just have to endure for the rest of the year. Reaching into her black bag, she pulled out her class schedule. First period: math with Ms. Yuuki. The teacher sounded nice, but the subject was for sure a torture chamber. Yes, she was beyond average when it came to math, but that didn't keep her from despising the subject. Sighing, she walked down the hallway and into room number three. She opened the door and sat down in the farthest corner, hands behind her head and feet on the desk. Her hoodie still covered her face, and she quickly fell asleep.

"Ms. Hinamori-sama, are you okay?" a foggy voice said, shaking the sleeping Amu. She slowly opened her eyes. Realizing where she was and what was going on, she grabbed the hand that was shaking her shoulders and pushed it aside.

"I'm fine. Just fell 'sleep."

She could feel the stares burning her back, scrutinizing every inch of her. She put her hand on her head, making sure the hoodie was still up. Quickly, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of sunglass and a black baseball cap with the words "DEATH IS INEVITABLE" on the front in blood red. She put the plain black sunglasses on and tucked her pink strands of hair into the cap. This way, she wouldn't have to continually bow her head.

She put the hoodie down once her hair was up and her eyes covered. She laid back in the desk, putting her hands in her hoodie's pockets. Turning her head to her left, she took all the other kid's scrutinizing stares and threw them back at them ten fold stronger. Their eyes widened and some of them even took a few steps back. The teacher, who had blonde hair in a pigtail and wearing a white and pink floral dress, told all the students to sit down.

"Class, I'm excited to say that we have a new student, of which I am sure you are all excited to meet. Ms. Hinamori-sama, would you mind coming to the front of the class and telling us a bit about yourself?"

'Suck up,' Amu thought, getting out of her rock-hard seat. She slowly walked to the front, the other kids watching her out of the corners of their eyes. Once she was at the front, she leaned her back against the wall and crossed her legs, crossing her arms in an intimidating way.

"Hinamori Amu. Adopted daughter of Gozen. Lived in an orphanage up until the age of eleven. No mother and currently living alone. Single, but that doesn't mean I'm up for grabs. In fact, it means the exact opposite." The class stared at her, shock in their eyes. She stood there, same position, waiting for their response. She said the exact same thing to every class every year. And every year, the kids only act in two different ways. The most popular is the "You're a freak. Why did someone as rich and famous as Gozen adopt such a weird thing?" The second one, the one that is less commonly used, is the probably the one I hate the most. The "Cool and Dangerous" Hinamori Amu. She hates it when people adore her and stick to her like glue. She'd rather just sit there and watch everyone else do what they always do. Sometimes, it was a split. Some kids would adore her and the others would hate her.

She stood there, staring at the clock, waiting for the cue that she could sit back down. After another two minutes passed, she simply shrugged her shoulders and walked back to her seat, hands in her pockets. She stared out the window to her right, head in her hand. She blocked out the teachers lecture; what's the point in listening to something you've learned at least five times? Five different schools, thirty-five different teachers, and they all taught the same things over and over. Why can't they ever teach something that's not exactly according to plan. Variety! Ever heard of it? Apparently not.

Without realizing it, she slipped into her own little world. Her past, her one safe haven. Running around the backyard, getting dirty but not caring because you were having to much fun with the other kids you came to call "your most important people". they weren't allowed to call each other family, which was actually a good thing. That way, if they were ever adopted or sent away, it wouldn't be so hard to leave. But it's still difficult.

She still remembered Rima and Nagehiko, the two lovebirds. Nagehiko was trained in the art of dance, but his passion was basketball. Rima was more serious about comedy than needed. Then there was sweet Yaya, who ate nothing but sweets. She was completely oblivious to the fight with Kuukai, the soccer player, and Kairi, the book reader. And, of course, the fight was about her. Tadase, the boy all the kids called "prince", was shy and quiet. That is, until he hears the words prince, king, world dominater, etc., etc. you get the point. When he would hear those words, he would go berserk and start going on about how he was going to conquer the world. All the other fifteen kids, not including Yaya, Rima, Nagehiko, Tadase, Kairi, Kuukai, and Amu marveled at them from a were their own group, brought together by one thing: all of them were judged completely wrong by the other kids.

But there was one boy, just one boy, who completely caught Amu's attention. His name was Ichigo. He had black hair, brown eyes, and pale skin. No very common. But what stood out most about him was his smile,his sense of humor, selflessness, kindness, and a fun personality.

They were both born on the same day, but they know for a fact that they aren't related in the slightest bit. He would hold her hand when she got the flu-shot. He would rub her back when she cried. He was everything she wanted to be.

She still remembers the day she left, how heartbroken he looked and she felt. She would give up everything she has right now to be with him.

A sharp ringing suddenly hit her ears, but she didn't even flinch. She taught herself long and hard to never react to anything. She didn't want anyone to get the best of her, not after that incident.

She snagged her bag from underneath the seat and walked out the door, heading over to her new art class. She had never been good at it, but she was definitely getting better. It made her happy, but not as happy as that did. But she swore that she would never do that again. It made her heart ache too much.

She swiftly strode down the beehive of a hallway. Crowded with busy teenagers working on the latest rumor or whatever they do. She too k a right at the end of the hallway and dreamily floated up the stairs. Her quick long strides helped her move faster, not wanting to be late for this class.

She walked into the room, full of painting canvases and drawing boards. She slowly inhaled and then exhaled, taking it all in at once. It was nothing like her art room at home, but it would work. She was more used to a private and peaceful area when doing art. This room felt full of high energy. She looked up at the clock. Still two minutes until class started. She sat down on one of the few desks in the corner and sat, waiting for class. Finally, after an eternity, class started and in came the teacher. He walked up to the front of the class and waved his hand.

"Yo. My name's Ikuto. Tsukiyomi Ikuto. But I prefer to just be called Lynx."


	2. nothing can ever go my way, can it?

Amu sat back, a grin forming on her face. She could already tell that the next hour would be and interesting one. Very interesting.

He had dark blue hair that shined in the light. His eyes were a dull shade of ocean blue. They looked like and unforgiving ocean, strong walls surrounding the violent waters. A dull ocean with barriers, showing no emotion.

His lips turned up into a slight grin, making him seem even more dangerous and unforgiving.

His eyes searched the room, stopping on each and every student. The girls went love struck when his eyes stopped on them, the guys giving him evil glares when it was their turn. Man, talk about a natural ladies man. Heck, he probably has a fan club full of girls and a group dedicated to hating him made of nothing but boys.

His eyes finally settled on the last person, sitting in the far corner, showing no emotion. In fact, she wasn't even really feel anything but bored, uninterested, and detached.

His grin grew wider as he made his way towards her.

'This is probably the most amusing thing that has and will happen today,' Amu thought, eyes following him through her dark glasses.

He was standing in front of her now, hands stuffed in his pockets. Both his shirt and jeans looked very close-fitted. But not too close-fitted. His black skinny-jeans and black T-shirt were plain, but he pulled it off. But don't get the wrong idea. She was NOT into him. She was into the clothes that most men wouldn't even dare to try them on in the changing.

He stood there for what seemed like quiet a while. He didn't move or talk at all. Despite the tense atmosphere, she didn't budge. She knew what he was tying to do. After all, she did it all the time. Well, if you can't handle it, don't dish it out. But she COULD handle it.

After another few minutes of silence, his grin turned into a line of determination. She knew he wouldn't budge. Well, neither would she.

This was her favorite game: a game of cat vs. dog. A stare-down, the stare-down that almost always determines how you treat each other. If you lose, you tend to do whatever the winner wants in fear. She hadn't lost once, not once since she left the orphanage. And even in the orphanage, there were only two people who could go for more than two minutes in an intimidating stare-down: Ichigo and Kuukai. They were the only people who knew her well enough to be that intimidated. she looks dangerous and scary, but that's only how she looks. And she does it on purpose. For two reasons.

she thinks this style looks awesome.

doesn't want anyone to get the better of her. Not again.

Finally, the girl who seemed to be most into this guy walked in-between them, facing the teacher.

"Ne, sensei, I wouldn't continue to stare at her. She could get you into big trouble and I don't want to see you get hurt. You're my favorite sensei," she said, sugar-coating her words and continually blinking, trying to flash her eyelashes. Instead of looking cute and innocent, she just made herself look even more of a slut. Not saying that she is one. But she sure sounds and looks like one.

"Thank you for your concern, Rebecca. You can go sit down now," he softly said, eyes still super glued to her face. She stared straight back.

He suddenly turned around, each step taken with ease and precision. He was now standing in the middle of the room. Amu looked up at the clock when he wasn't looking. It had been fifteen minutes since the bell rang. She now had a worthy opponent.

He started his lecture with what "art" meant to everyone. He went around the whole room for who knows why. Most of the girls said it was a way to express their feelings, especially love. The only four guys in the class had different answers. The one sitting to the right of Rebecca said that art was something that boys couldn't succeed in, making him want to prove them wrong. The next one sitting in front of him said that it was something that no one in his family had succeeded in. The guy sitting right next to the door said he didn't really know what it meant to him. The last one got up and gave a five minute speech on how art influences history and the present in ways that no one notices very often. Then he took another five minutes on how art can take many forms and how anyone can like it because there are so many different typesof art. Finally, the class just told him to shut up and to stop standing on his desk and to quit trying to fool them with his fake tears. He just sat down and crossed his arms and told them that they were all ignorant fools.

Amu rolled her eyes at his performance, something no one else noticed because of her glasses. After everyone else had gone, everyone's eyes were on Amu.

"Your turn, Amu," the teacher said.

"Who gave you permission to call me Amu, _Lynx_?" she threw back at him.

"No one but me."

"Sorry, you're not important enough to make that decision."

"Really? Is that because I'm not rich or famous?"

"No."

"Than why am I not important enough?"

"Because you think you're important."

"Are you important?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"My dad may be famous and rich, but did I do anything to earn the money I have now? No. All I did was look different than all the other kids, which was what he wanted. Someone different. And that's what he got. A girl that didn't want to be anywhere but where her 'family' was. No matter how much money I would get," Amu said, bowing her head down. She had never said that out loud. Her eyes watered, but she wouldn't let the tear escape from it's confines.

"How do we know that's true?" he asked, a feeling in his gut telling him she was telling the truth. He just didn't want it to be true.

"Look in the police files and my adoption reports. They'll say that when it was the day I was supposed to leave, I took a piece of broken pipe and tried to keep the guys that were picking me up from taking me. Gozen just bought my way out of trouble though, promising that it wouldn't ever happen again. I haven't seen the other kids who I considered my family since. Gozen doesn't want me to try to leave and go back to the orphanage. That's why I live in a big mansion with guards surrounding it. Not to keep people out, but to keep me in."

Silence filled the room. Her hands were balled into fists, shaking fists that wanted to punch someone till blood dripped out of their mouths.

She couldn't take the silence; it made her feel empty and alone.

"What art is to me is an escape from the material world and a reason to try hard," was what she said after a few minutes of silence.

She turned her head and looked at the painting facing her. A picture of a girl sitting on a window seal, looking out to a bright day. But the house was dark and depressing, the only light being blocked by a girl in a torn and blood stained dress. She heard Tsukiyomi start telling the class that with the start of the new semester, they were going to learn more about ceramics and statues. But it sounded distant to her. She was immerged in the painting on her right. She remembered sitting in her new room, turning off all the lights and just staring out at the bright sky. Only difference was that she was wearing a knee-length black night-gown. She felt as if she knew what the girl in the painting was feeling. A feeling of despair and wanting. Wanting to be accepted by others.

Tsukiyomi finished his speech and told everyone to just sit and talk. The room immediately filled with chatter and laughter. The feeling of eyes on her was what she noticed most, though. They were probably looking at her, wondering what her deal was. Why would anyone want to stay in some dirty and run-down orphanage rather than living in an expensive mansion with gourmet food and twenty-four hour care and service? She knew that they were only looking at the material part of it. Just like everyone else.

Sighing, she turned her attention to the other kids, eyes scrutinizing them. The room went almost dead silent, the only sound being the scratching of the chair as Amu got up and walked to Tsukiyomi's desk, where he was looking through an e-mail on his laptop.

"Hey, Tsukiyomi-sensei, mind if I go to the bathroom?" Amu asked him with a bored expression, saying it kindly but knowing that he knew she really didn't like him.

"Whatever. Grab the hall-pass next to the door on your way out. Don't want to get detention now, do we?" He was enjoying this little 'conflict.' But so was she.

"Better than sitting in here." With a quick turn of her heal, she walked across the room and ignored the hall-pass. She threw the door shut behind her, not caring how loud it sounded. She heard a few girls in the room squeal, not expecting her to just throw the door shut. She internally grinned. It's not that she liked scaring or hurting people. She just thought of it as funny because it's just not something she usually does, jumping at a loud noise. She only liked being sarcastic with 'Lynx' because she was actually a little glad that she had someone who isn't scared of something as little as being stared at. And it reminded her of how it felt like being around Kuukai and Ichigo.

She just stood outside the bathroom, waiting for the bell to ring. After what seemed like days it finally rang, sending the gift of relief down her aching and tense spine. But, of course, something had to happen that she doesn't want.

"Ms. Hinamori Amu, please report to room number three o six. Ms. Hinamori Amu, please report to room number three o six."

Now why was she being sent to Tsukiyomi's classroom, the very room she wanted to stay as far away from as possible.


	3. a mouthful of paint and surprises

"I'm here," Amu said to her new teacher's back. He looked either frustrated or confused. Or maybe both. Why should it matter to her, though?

She was leaning on the door's frame, arms in her hoodie's pockets and her right foot crossed over her left, scrutinizing him behind her glasses. He seemed……different from when he was surrounded by his other y on the tostudents. He seemed almost more relaxed.

This man was officially intriguing. 'Not in a relationship kind of way. He just seems different, someone I haven't seen the likes of in a long time. He reminds me of the other kids at the orphanage. That's the only reason,' was what she thought, proving to herself that she had no interest in him.

As soon as the thought of him being intriguing entered her mind, the thought of a little prank entered her mind. A prank that would tell her more about how much he cares about his 'outward appearance.' She stood in the doorway, just waiting for him to tell her to enter. So, he was playing the silent game, now?

This guy has guts.

She silently shook her head. On the inside, she was practically laughing with how he seemed to know exactly the kinds of games she was good at. But on the outside, she was just bored with the situation. Quietly, she slowly walked over to his back, using her 'sneak out of the mansion full of trained and dangerous guards to go to the old park where the night is darkest' skills. Quickly, she look over his head where a shelf full of open half-empty paint bottles lay. A grin spread across her usually bored face. Quietly sucking as much air in as possible without tipping him off, she screamed in his ear "I'M HERE!"

He automatically jumped, the papers in his hands flying as he fell. He crashed against the wall. Next second, we had a girl named Amu grinning from extremely pierced ear to extremely pierced ear at a green, red, purple, blue, yellow, brown, black, white, and gray Tsukiyomi.

"I'm so sorry, _Lynx_," she sugar-coated, putting an accent to his nickname. She expected some sort of major punishment for 'scaring and ruining his clothes on purpose'. Right now, though, she didn't necessarily care. She was going to stay on the top. No matter what it took. She wouldn't be seen as weak.

He just looked at her, confusion trying to battle the fierce waves in his eyes. She could see it, but she knew he was trying to hide it.

"Why?" was his simple reply.

Her answer was a shrug of the shoulders and turning around and sitting on top of the nearest desk.

"Got another pair of clothes?" she asked, seeming already completely bored.

'What is wrong with this girl? Will nothing satisfy her?' he thought as he replied with a, "Why would I bring an extra pair of clothes to school?"

"Obviously because as an art teacher, something will have to happen sometime what with a room full of messy paints, oil pastels, charcoals, and other messy art artifacts. Especially with teenagers handling these messy items," she said, making him feel a little clueless to what his job really consists of.

He got up and shook his head, splattering paint all over the room. Amu raised her eyebrow, a little surprised.

"What? No punishment? I just ruined your shelf, wasted who knows how much paint, and got your clothes ruined by paint." He just simply looked at her for a few minutes, trying to figure out exactly what this insanely rich teenager was trying to pull.

"Nope. No punishment."

"Why?"

"Because. For one, you want to get in trouble. And two, I'm not going to give you the reaction most people give. I don't know why you're doing this, but I'm not an idiot," he quietly said, looking her straight in the sunglasses.

"I know fully well that you're not an idiot."

"Then why even bother?"

"I bother because I shouldn't bother."

This didn't make any sense to the paint covered teacher. Why would she want to do something that she knows is impossible?

This question running through his mind distracted him, not noticing until he heard her voice start talking to what seemed like a butler or maid. He looked at her, finally noticed the black I-Phone wedged between her shoulder and ear, arms still in her hoodie's pockets.

"Yeah, I want a pair of black skinny jeans and a plain black T-shirts in various men sizes," she told the phone, staring at the painting on the wall that reminded her so much of herself. She took the phone and stuffed it in her pocket after telling whoever she was talking to that she was at the school in room three o six.

She continued to stare at the picture as she asked Tsukiyomi why the hell she was sent here when he should be teaching a classroom full of kids.

"Because your dad told the principle to assign you a tracker teacher, meaning in every class your teachers will write a detailed report on what you did and how well you are doing in the class. He chose me. Everyday during third-period, while all the other kids are in their classes, you will be in here. If you have a c or below in a class, I will tutor you until that grade goes up. If you have a c or below in two classes, they will go in a certain order due to importance. First is math, then English. Third is science, and last is social studies. If you have above a c in all of those classes but a c or below in any of your electives, you can choose which elective to be tutored in. If all your grades are good, we will talk about your teachers reports and how to improve your behavior. If your behavior is good, you will be rewarded by choosing a safe activity to do. I will need at least two days notice before this activity takes place. In this two days your grades and behavior must stay positive. If not, your activity will be canceled and we will work on what needs to happen to get that activity again," he monotonously replied.

"You've been a tracker teacher many times, I presume?" she said, amused at how it almost seems he memorized the whole thing due to the many times he has had to give this little speech.

"No. My sister has a lot of kids that don't like rules. She makes me tutor them. Principle heard about how I turned a kid with five F's and two D-'s who was about to be sent to Juvenile Detention Facility into a straight A student volunteer for the Elderlt Center," he said as a butler walked right into the room, bowing at his mistress.

"I have the clothes, Madam." In came a maid in a blue knee-length dress with an apron in the front, reminding him of Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland. She was pulling a long clothing rack on wheels. Hanging from it was a huge mass of black, divided by size, T-shirts on the left side and jeans on the right. The maid reached down into the pocket of her apron and pulled out a piece of leather with little marks on the long side, resembling a ruler. She walked over to him and took some strange measurements. Why would she need a measurement of his ankle? When she was done writing down the results, she quickly walked over to the rack and pulled out a pair of pants and a T-shirt, resembling the ones that he was currently wearing. Just without all the paint. She signaled for him to follow her to the nearest broom closet, where he changed his clothes into the new ones. They felt, fitted, and looked a lot better than his original version. They fit around his ankles perfectly, guessing that was why she measured his ankles. He walked out, completely forgetting about his hair. Until he felt cold water from a spray bottle hit the back of his head. They soaked his hair with the bottle, not getting his clothes one bit wet. By the time they were done, his hair was fashioned into the shag many 'bad-boys' wear now, and his clothes were amazing. He looked even better than that guy, Taylor Latner (A/N that is his name, right? I've seen him, but I don't think much. Every one else I know likes him, though. No offense to Taylor fans) that everyone was talking about.

Amu was just lazily sitting in the desk that gave her the best view into the hallway, watching them wash him up. When he saw the final results, he seemed surprised. She thought this a little amusing. A full-grown man who has the personality of a trouble maker yet also knows how to act when needed was surprised at something as simple as seeing his hair done and wearing just a new plain pair of black skinny-jeans and T-shirt? He could handle an intense stare-down with the richest girl on the Earth and completely change a Juvenile into the perfect kid without being shaken, but he was shocked by having just his hair done and wearing clothes that fit him just a little better than his original identical pair?

But as fast as this amusement came, it went out the door. He was now sitting in front of her, bending down to her eye level, and said "This is nice, but don't expect any extra-credit or anything of the sort. You are still a student. A student who just happens to be very troublesome."

"Good. Extra-credit is stupid. And who said being troublesome was a bad thing?" she said, irritation quickly overpowering any other existing emotions towards this man.

"Who said it wasn't a bad thing?" he shot back at her, finally starting to get sick of her attitude.

"I did."

"Well, who said you are important enough to say it?"

"The rest of the world." Now he was confused. Didn't she say that she wasn't anywhere near important just about forty-five minutes ago?

"I thought you were just some kid who got lucky 'cause she was different than the others?"

"I think I'm not important. The world, however, thinks I must be important because Gozen chose me out of all the other hundred kids he visited." She turned her head and looked at the picture. He could tell something was wrong. I mean, she did say that doesn't see herself as important, right? Something twisted inside him. He could tell something tormented her, but he didn't know what.

Cursing to himself, he caught himself thinking about helping her. Why should he help her? If something is really troublesome, she could just buy it off with money.

But that didn't explain her apparent fixation with the depressing painting. It had to be internal if she couldn't just buy her way out of it.

"Hey, Tsukiyomi? TSUKIYOMI!" He was jolted out of his ocean of thoughts, each wave of questions crashing against each other, creating a bigger wave of questions. He gave a little jump, not entirely used to being yelled at out of nowhere. He hit the desk they were both leaning on, bringing both him and Amu down.

Amu fell on top of Ikuto's chest, a feeling totally new to the both of them. Neither of them were much into relationships or love.

Amu quickly got up and brushed off her skirt, not affected by the fall at all. She had a feeling it would happen when she yelled in his ear for the second time in a half hour. Ikuto, however, just proped himself on his elbows, a slightly pink face. He watched her intently as she walked back over to the door way and grabbed her bag. Before walking out the door, she faced him and took two fingers, placing them by her forehead then saluted him with them, making him feel like he took the hook, sinker, and even the burning barbeque, being prepared for a meal.

And that's exactly how she wanted him to feel as she walked out the door right as the bell rang.


	4. hanging on the edge of death

Hey! It's Randomness-is-Awsomeness. And yes, Awsomeness is purposefully spelled wrong, for those who are confused at why it is misspelled. But I'm just here to say thanks for all the favorites and putting the story on story updates! And don't be afraid to review. It makes me want to try even harder and write even faster. Here's the fourth chapter!

* * *

Amu looked up at the sky, leaning against her balcony. School was over now, but she still had a lot to think about. She had finished all her homework; she knew all the material so it didn't take her very long. Sighing, her face twisted into one showing confusion. Confusion over many things. But what mainly bothered her was that so-called teacher, Tsukiyomi. She couldn't get him out of her head. But not in the romantic way. On one side, she would see that damned teacher. On the other side she would see Kuukai and Ichigo's laughing, taunting faces. She didn't want to think about it, didn't want to remember. But sometimes, you can't help but to remember.

_It was red all around. She could hear the bangs, even from where she was. She huddled even closer to her closest friend, Ichigo. The screams echoed, etching them permanently into her mind. Terrified, she looked up at the sound of footsteps, eyes widening in fear at what she knew was about to happen._

That's as far as she let it go, grabbing her head and blocking the screams that still haunt her. Sometimes, she could-even to this day-feel the burning sensation across her stomach. And she felt it as clear as day as she was standing on the porch. She knew nothing was happening. It was just her body reacting to the memory of what happened.

But that didn't keep it from hurting.

She hunched over, gasping for air, trying to gain enough breath to call for help. This happened every once in a while. And each time she ended up un-conscience, waking up in her bed with the servants, doctor, and sometimes even Gozen himself towering over, begging for her to wake up.

Why fuss over something so small as just her body remembering that night? Because it put so much strain on her body and even her mental mind that doctors predicted that if they don't stop soon, her eyes won't open to find them towering over her ever again.

She was now lying in a ball on the ground, hoping that she wouldn't make it this time. It just wasn't worth it, not anymore. She had no one to laugh with, no one to smile with, nobody to care for. And nobody to care for her. Her eyes, scrunched up from pain, looked up at the sky. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the moon, a thin grey cloud spread across the middle. She thought it ironic.

It was like she was right there, going through it all over again. The moon she learned to hate so much as it being the last thing she saw that night. It was even in the same phase it was when her blood had been so mercilessly spilled.

And it was the last thing she saw tonight before giving into the pain and allowing her body to temporarily shut down.

That is, if she lived through this time.

* * *

He sat at his desk, looking through the papers in his hand. They were the reports of Amu from the other teachers. And they all said about the same thing.

Bored, uninterested, and detached. 'Which was probably what she was actually feeling,' he thought, not knowing what to do with this kid.

People say that she hides what she looks like because she didn't want paparazzi following her everywhere. But he didn't believe that. She didn't seem like the kind of person to care if people followed her.

Instead, his gut told him it was something else. Instead, he thinks that she hides because she is distrustful.

But why would she be so distrustful to not even let people see what her eye-color is? There were no pictures of her whatsoever. Not on the internet, not in magazines and newspapers. Not even in previous school yearbooks! She wasn't in any of Gozen's family portraits. It was only him and his brothers, sisters, and parents.

But that also didn't explain why she enjoyed arguing with him so much! He had never met a person who was more sarcastic with him than she was. But she didn't seem to try to get on anyone else's nerves. So why his? What was it about him that seemed to make her so irritable? Usually, he made girls-above the age of ten-swoon over him. Without even trying!

Then it clicked.

She had said something about an orphanage. But what did she say about it? He didn't remember. He wasn't going to try to remember everything she says. Well, maybe he should. 'No. That would be to weird, being able to quote everything she's ever said,' he thought to himself. But what really convinced him not to was that his brain would explode with the effort. Not that she talks much. It would just be the fact that he would have to be alert whenever she was around him. Which, he just realized, would be very often. At least two hours a day. Just thinking about it made his head hurt.

He didn't mind spending the hour with her. That just means about twenty less teenagers he had to look after. What he really didn't like was that if something happened, he would have to go see what was wrong. Even if she only broke her leg, he was still responsible for being there when she was in any kind of trouble. He hoped it wouldn't be very often, but by the tone of the butler's voice, it would be often. He just wondered why he had to be there when there were who knows how many maids, servants, butlers, and doctors to take care of her? It was beyond him why he, of all people, would be able to help her with stuff like that. Especially with the way she probably thought of him. Nothing but a nuisance.

Again, his stomach twisted for probably the hundredth time that day. His question wasn't how many times it had twisted that day, though. It was why his stomach was twisting at the thought that she thought him a nuisance that confused him. Why should he have any kind feelings toward her? He shouldn't even think about having kind feelings toward her. Especially after how she talks to him, like he's some worm in an apple. Because I'm in the apple, it gets thrown away.

Suddenly an idea popped into his mind. Why didn't he think of it before?

He turned his office chair towards the computer and quickly went on to his teacher files. Normally, the teachers only have records of absences and grades they have in their class. But Ikuto had a trick up his sleeve. He was instructed to not tell Amu about this little set-up. You see, he had ALL of her files. Files of all her grades from all her other classes, her records, everything about her in one file. Clicking on her file, they gave him a list of her files. Grade files, criminal records, birth records, adoption records, files from previo- wait, adoption records? She did say something about an orphanage…….. This could be the brake he was looking for! He clicked on the file, heartbeat pumping faster and faster with anticipation. Maybe now he could finally figure out what was bothering her! He waited, impatiently, for the file to load. His impatience climbed an all-time high, wanting the little green bar to reach the end, giving him blessed relief.

After about five minutes that felt like five centuries to him, the file opened. His eyes scanned, scanned, scanned. But no matter where he looked on the page, the only thing it said was "Hinamori Amu- Adopted by Gozen. Full custody is now in his hands."

He cursed under his breath. Shouldn't there be a little bit more information? Information such as birthparents, foster parents, caretakers, cause for being put up for adoption? Then again, Amu was the richest girl on the face of the Earth. She could probably get connections so she could access any file, anywhere, on anyone or anything with just a little bribing. Maybe she changed the information? Possibly.

He ran a hand through his hair, disappointment taking over. Looking up at the clock, he decided it was time to go.

He grabbed his bag, put the papers away, and turned his laptop off. He made for certain that he took the little brown package sitting next to his laptop. Opening it, his jaw dropped at the item. They said they would be getting him a communication device, but he thought they meant something like a Track Phone, or just a cheap little thing for emergencies. He didn't expect the newest version of the phone he wanted for the longest time- a blue Blackberry. It was even blue, not the usual black! He didn't even know they came in blue. Well, they probably don't. This is Gozen we're talking about. He was paying him about one hundred thousand dollars per month for just being her tracker teacher. Now he was starting to think it might just be worth to have to show up at all accidents. I mean, how many could she possibly have?

He carefully put it in his pocket after checking to see if it was already on. It was, and the only contact it had saved was Amu's emergency line. Apparently, when something happens to Amu, someone records a message on this line and anyone on it is immediately notified. He grinned to himself when he could also put in his own contacts. So, a free phone.

Wait. Did he have to pay any monthly fees or bills for it? He put his hand back in the box, pulling out a note. All it said was, "Don't worry about paying for the phone. Any bills, fees, or payments will be personally taken care of by Gozen himself. Any damage will also be taken care of by Gozen. Instructions for the phone will be found sitting on your doorstep." Wow. He must really care about Amu, willing to take care of my phone personally.

Putting the phone in his pocket, he put the box and his laptop in his bag. Life was good. Money, a new and free phone. Could it get any better? Well, maybe not. But it could get worse.

He locked the door behind him and strode down the hallway. Man, was he ready for some sleep. He walked down the staircase and walked towards the gym. Why should he have to go all the way through the rest of the school when there was an exit so much closer to his classroom and teacher's parking lot?

He pushed open the door and walked across the gym. It felt weird being in here, though. He almost felt as if Amu was standing on the stage, glaring at the microphone as if it was confirming her fears, like she did earlier that morning. He didn't even bother to ask himself what those fears could possibly be. He probably wasn't about to find out anytime soon. That is, if he does find out what those fears are.

When he reached about the two third mark of the gym, getting closer to leaving the stupid school for the night, he felt a vibration against his upper leg. 'Oh god, no," he thought. What happened now? He reached into his pocket and took out the blue blackberry he now wished he didn't own right at that moment. He pressed the talk button, preparing himself for whatever happened.

"High Alert. Hinamori Amu has been found hunched into ball on her balcony. Medical attention needed immediately. It looks like another physical reaction. Back-up must come quickly. Her life is at terrible risk. I repeat: High Alert. Hinamori Amu has been found hunched into ball on her balcony. Medical attention needed immediately. It looks like another physical reaction. Back-up must come quickly. Her life is at terrible risk."

Stunned, confused, and worried he sprinted the rest of the way to his car, not slowing down. He slid into the driver's seat, not even bothering to put his bag in the back seat. He looked around the car's floor; they said that they put a police siren in his car in case of an emergency.

He found it wedged in-between the passenger seat and floor. He yanked it out and rolled down his window. He stuck it on the roof of the car, making sure it stuck. He turned it on, bracing himself for the loud and obnoxious siren. Not even bothering to roll the window back down, he shoved his foot on the gas pedal, taking off.

It was strange, having cars stop on the side of the road so he could get past them. But he didn't notice. He was so fixed on getting to Amu. Later, he will ask himself why he was so anxious to get to her side, to make sure she was okay.

He pulled up to her mansion's gate in less than three minutes. Guards immediately opened the gate, seeing the siren on the top of the car. He drove up the gigantic driveway, stopping the car and jumping out when he reached her doorstep, forgetting to take the keys out of the ignition. He bounded up the steps. Standing by the doorway was a butler, who asked for his name. In-between breathes, he managed to get a "Tsuki-pant-yo-pant-mi ik-pant-uto." The butler opened the door, telling him to go up the stairs and take a right. Her bedroom would be at the end, neighbor to the next flight of stairs. But he was already inside the mansion before the door was even halfway open.

Following the instructions, he-somehow-sped up, desperate to get to her. He shot up the stairs and ran down the hallway so fast it might as well not even be there. He burst through the last door closest to the next flight of staircases. His eyes widened.

He had never seen someone who looked so bad, so sick, so pained.

In fact, his knees collapsed from underneath him as he took in the worst sight he had ever seen: Amu, lying on her bed. Dying.


	5. A Sickening Sight

Hey! It's Randomness-is-Awsomeness and here's the fifth chapter! This is my Favorite out of all the chapters that I've posted!

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She lay on her bed, sweat drowning her face. Her body looked lifeless, eyes and nose scrunched up as if she was smelling something that was burning her nose. She had a wet towel on her head, hair being hid by what looked like a lunch-ladie's hair net only it had no holes in it. Her lips looked chapped, dry. She had several scratches and cuts on her arms from falling onto her balcony floor. Her clothes were wrinkled and they had little holes on the side, looking as if she had crossed her arms over her stomach and dug her nails into the cloth.

The people attending to her gave Ikuto a quick glance, their only worry being on the pained girl on the bed.

After taking in the scene that made him want to run the other way, he got off his knees and back on his feet. He knew he needed to be strong. He slowly walked over to her bedside, staring at her face. It took all his energy to just keep his eyes on this troubled face. He could almost see her grin and eyes guarded by a pair of sunglasses. He wanted to tease her, be sarcastic with her like they had been just hours earlier. A maid who was attending her from the other side of the bed reached her hand over Amu's stomach. She ran her hand from the lining of her skirt to just below the breast-line and back down. Once back at the skirt lining, she went up to the corset and untied it, revealing a red tank-top. Carefully, she gently took the shirt and pulled it back, revealing her stomach.

Ikuto flinched at the sight.

Carved deep into the skin, dark red scars covered her belly. But what stunned him the most was not the fact that she had the worst scars he had ever seen on her stomach. It was what the scars connected together formed.

The Sigil of Baphomet. The official insignia for the Church of Satan.

Ikuto felt the blood drain from his face. What had happened to her? He silently prayed that she hadn't done this to herself, or that he had just fallen asleep at his desk in his classroom and was dreaming some twisted dream caused by some bad food he might've eaten earlier that day.

Her body was responding in a way that seemed as if it had just happened, but the insignia carved into her skin looked old, as if she had bore it for years. So why would she be in so much pain if it wasn't knew? And why were they checking her scar? 'Maybe they aren't looking at her stomach for the scar. Maybe they're just looking at it to check for anything else, maybe to see if she had been eating and not starving herself to death. Yeah, it's not the sign,' he reassured himself. Whatever was wrong, it wasn't anything related to the scar. At least, that's what he told himself.

But he was, in reality, convincing himself of a lie.

He was suddenly aware of everything around him instead of being completely absorbed in Amu. He felt his hands sweating and clenched. He felt the droplets of blood from digging his fingernails into his palms. His legs felt weak, ready to crumble to ashes without any warning. He heard a beeping. Looking to his side, he found them connecting her to a heart monitor. Next, he heard a _drip, plop, drip, plop._ On the other side of the bed, she had an IV in the crook of her elbow. He now saw a doctor taking her temperature, a look of dread on hi- why a look of dread?

After recording her temperature, he felt her all around her stomach, probably checking for lumps or something of the sort. Once that was done and it was recorded, he checked to make sure her limbs could move properly, bending her legs, arms, ankles, wrists, and neck. He at least seemed satisfied that her limbs were cooperating.

After-of course- he recorded his findings on the same piece of paper he had repeatedly scribbled on and then walked to his doctor's kit sitting in the corner. Opening it, he took out his stethoscope and a syringe. Putting the syringe into his white coat pocket that all doctors in movies seem to wear, he walked back over to the bed and began listening to her heartbeat for the stethoscope. He seemed to think her heart sounded okay so he moved down to her stomach. A look of worry splashed onto his face as he started listening to her stomach.

After a few moments of him going back over her stomach to make sure he wasn't just imagining what he heard, he put the stethoscope down and reached down into his pocket and pulled out the syringe. Taking a pack of small package of disinfectant wipes and cleaned off her wrist and then pressed down in different area's of her wrist, looking for a good vein. Once he was done collecting her blood, he took a tube from his kit and squirted the blood into it, tightly closing it so it wouldn't get spilled or contaminated.

Hurriedly, he put his notes and the blood samples into a large back and then zipped the bag. He then put all of his equipment-except for the heart monitor and IV-into his kit. Once it was all put together and closed, he motioned for a dumbfounded Ikuto to follow him into the hallway. He was reluctant, though, after seeing his reactions to what he had found.

Silently praying for news that she was going to live through this, he followed him into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

He faced the doctor as the man standing in front of him cleared his throat, preparing himself to tell this obviously shocked man what he had found.

"Well, Ms. Hinamori-san seems to be getting increasingly worse as time goes by. These little episodes she has been having lately are taking a great toll. Her immune system is weakening as well as her body." Ikuto sucked in a deep breath, about to ask him the first of his two most important questions.

"Will she live through this, though?" he shakily asked. He had never really known anyone who died, so this was shocking to him, seeing someone so close to death. Especially at her age.

"This time she will most likely survive. However, if it doesn't stop in the immediate future, her life will eventually end. Each time she has her physical reactions, it puts even more pressure on her body. Right now, she has used three times more energy relating to dealing with pain than kids five years older than her. Basically, when it comes to how strong she is health wise, she is at the age of fifty-five."

This stunned Ikuto. She didn't look that weak at school.

"My next question is what is happening to her?"

"To simply put it, her body is practically reliving the pain of what happened all those years ago," The doctor said, looking down at his watch. "Well, I have to go. I need to go and examine the blood sample. Just make sure she gets plenty of water through the IV and make sure her heart isn't acting weird and she should wake up. But she'll wake up weak, so be careful. She will still be in immense pain." He walked right past Ikuto and down the hallway, turning the corner to go back the staircase and out of the mansion.

Ikuto felt a little more relieved after hearing that she should live through this episode. Yet he still didn't know how much longer she had to live, if the episodes were going to stop, or what had even happened to her to leave such a lasting impression that her body still reacted to it even though the pain should have gone.

He walked back into the room and asked one of the maids where he could get a glass of water. She told him to go back down the stairs into the lobby and enter the door on the left side of the room. There, a staircase will lead him down to the main kitchen and that he could have anything he wanted. Thanking her, he walked out of the room and followed the maid's instructions. He didn't even notice the walk in refrigerator or the fifteen foot long stove in the center of the kitchen. All he noticed was the stack of glasses sitting next to the sink. Attached to the faucet was a water purifier. Filling up one of the large glasses, he took a few steps and started walking back to the room, water still in hand.

When he got back, he walked into the room to find only one maid sitting next to the fragile-looking body. The maid stood as he walked into the room and bowed at him. He nodded his head and she sat back down.

Amu's face looked more relaxed and eased. The sight sent relief coursing through his body, relief he hadn't realized he needed.

"The Young Lady is asleep. She should be back at school in the next three days. Gozen sent orders to us to ask you if you would mind taking the next few days off so you can stay by her side. It is fine if that is not possible, but it would be much appreciated," the girl replied to the look on his face.

"Yeah, I'll stay. I'll tell the school to find a substitute. If it's fine, you can go and take a break and I can watch over her." The maid's face immediately brightened.

"Why, of course! If something happens or if you need anything, just press the red button by the door," she said excitedly, glad for a chance to rest and relax her sore body. She stood up and bowed. Again, Ikuto nodded his head and she stood straight. She walked over to the door, but before exiting, she looked back and said, "You two are quiet similar, despite you look nothing alike. I'm glad she finally found someone to play around with."

"What do you mean by 'Finally found someone to play around with?" Ikuto asked, a little shocked by her observation.

"The Young Lady hasn't seemed as happy as she was when she came home this morning since she last heard from her friends from the orphanage she was adopted from," she said with a smile, walking out the door before he could reply. He shook his head. A small smile forming on his lips.

He turned around, and almost dropped his glass when he was greeted by a pair of yellow, scrutinizing eyes. Eyes that stunned him at their beauty. But a small strike of fear flashed through him.

She didn't look very happy to see him.

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I hope you readers liked this, no matter how crazy it sounds. But i only have one request: REVIEW! Tell me what you think. I want to know!


	6. Why Amu hates Ikuto

"Ahh…um…"

"What are you doing here?" Amu demanded after several seconds of silence. She was mad. Why was he here, in her bedroom? 'Please don't tell me he saw me during my episode!' she screamed in her head, not wanting him to see her in a vulnerable state.

"As your tracker teacher, I'm alerted whenever something happens to you. No matter what I'm doing, I have to drop it and rush to your side whenever I get the call. Why? Is there something you don't want me to see?" he defended, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking straight at her. She only smirked.

"No. I just don't want my carpet to be dirtied. My workers work hard enough as it is. I don't want them to collapse of fatigue while trying to clean the crap you left behind." Her eyes showed a fire of irritation. She just HAS to wake up to him standing in her bedroom. And even worse, he had to have seen her at her weakest. She mentally cursed. He would probably see her like that until she eventually dies off, too. Great. She will absolutely never live this down.

"Well, now that you mention it, I do think I walked in a puddle of mud before getting the car," he replied, shrugging his shoulders as if he wasn't concerned at all.

"I wasn't talking about mud or dirt. I was talking about your major ego. You have so much of it that the rest has got to end up somewhere," was her retort, eyes closing and hands going into fists. Ikuto, noticing this, immediately felt a surge of concern. He caught himself about to ask her if she was okay and wanted him to push the red button. Knowing her, she would just give him an evil glare and a crude remark about how he must think she was weak and dependant on others.

Silence followed, and Amu felt a sudden and unexplainable guilt. She suddenly felt sorry for treating him the way she was. After all, he did care enough for her to come and see what was wrong. She noticed a weird feeling in her chest. Almost as if it was a little too light for comfort. She wondered if she should just say sorry and ask if they could start all over again. Then she threw the thought at the walls in her conscience and yelled 'What's with the sudden kind and empathetic gooiness for this guy's ass?"

Ikuto, though, was thinking something quiet different. 'What's with the hostility? I don't recall doing anything to her! This is just stupid. I must act like a toddler to her! Wait, now why do I care how she sees me?' He looked around the room, trying to find anything that could distract him. Surprisingly, she had hardly anything in her room.

She only had a dresser, a desk, a bedside table, and a picture on her bedside table. He could see a smiling Amu in wrinkled and dirty clothes, but he couldn't see the person who had Amu's arms around their shoulders because the rest was blocked by the Amu not in the picture. He didn't care about that, though. The picture had the same effect as seeing her eyes for the first time had. In the picture she was still wearing a baseball cap and her eyes were closed shut, but they were closed shut in laughter. That was what he was captivated by. She looked so happy and free in the picture, which seemed like a strange concept to him at this point. It might have been a strange concept, but he found that it was a happy strange. Seeing a smile on her face seemed to affect him in a way he had never been affected. At that moment, he wanted to see her smile like that at him. He didn't want to feel that way, but he wasn't the type to try and deny his feelings if he notices them.

Without him realizing it, Amu noticed he was staring at the picture on her bedside table. She quickly took the picture off the table and put it under the covers, hiding it from him.

"Why did you take the picture?" he asked, wondering why she had to be so secretive.

"It's none of your business." This reply maddened him, making him ask a question he didn't mean to come out of his mouth.

"Why do you hate me so much more than anyone else? You don't talk to anyone else the way you talk to me. I have a right to know!" She just looked him in the face, eyes seeming to immediately start showing slight emotion. Well, it was better than seeing no emotion.

"It's not you I hate. In fact, I don't think I could ever possibly hate you. I may not be able to hate you, but I can hate what I think of when I see you," she said, turning her eyes up towards the ceiling when she said the last part of her little explanation. This hurt him for a reason he didn't know.

"Do you want to tell me about it? It's okay if you don't want my opinion. If you want, I'll only listen," he said, willing to do anything to get rid of the feeling of hurt inside him. She looked at him and nodded her head.

"You remind me of the kid I met at the age of two months. He was my neighbor, my best friend. When our parents were both killed, we were sent to a orphanage. There we made some other friends. Kuukai and Ichigo, the kid who had been my neighbor. Me and Ichigo were both born on the same day, but we have no blood connections. Ichigo and I fell in love, never separated for a single minute. We even shared a room. To this day I still love him more than anyone I've ever met. The day I was taken from the orphanage, it broke his heart. You remind me of him the way you talk, walk, and just everything. I miss him, Ikuto!" she yelled the last sentence, and Ikuto ran to her side when tears started to leak down her cheek.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"Actually, there might be," was her reply.

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Here it is~! Be sure to Read and Review!


	7. BANG! That's what would happen'

Ok, I'm sooooooooooooooooooooo excruciatingly sorry! It's been forever since I've updated. Things started to come up with school and family. And now, I finally have a little time to write because me and my whole family is sick and we're all staying at home. I'll also appologize for the shortness of this chapter in advance. However, there are reasons for why it's so short. Maybe you guys can figure it out :) Well, please enjoy and review!

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She looked at him straight in the eye, her steady gaze scrutinizing him like she would a piece of art at a museum. He held his breath, waiting for her answer. Waves of balefulness crashed and collided in her eyes with what seemed to be a betrayal turned his spine into dust and his confidence into terror. However, he didn't show because he knew he would be in even more trouble if he did. He couldn't tell what it was that caused the balefulness like he hardly knew anything else about her, and he didn't want to know. Her gaze was so intense that what she asked next shocked him all the way to Saturn.

"Turn up the heat."

He blinked. He blinked again. She wanted him to _turn up the heat? _That was it? It just seemed so…… random.

"It's down in the kitchen . It's by the sink, which is something I don't get. What if it were to get it? BANG! That's what would happen." She mumbled at first, but her voice got stronger. "Turn the knob up say… two degrees." She mumbled again, turning her gaze to the balcony in a way that said 'hopeless.' Hesitantly, he slowly got up from the chair and walked towards the door. He looked back before exiting, only to find her cradling a picture to her chest, the picture from the bedside table, he guessed. Her eyes were closed, other hand resting on her covered head. She looked small, weak, innocent even. He was sure that this was a side of her that no one had seen in a very long time. Her façade was ripped off in this small moment, and Ikuto mentally scolded himself for wishing that he hadn't looked back, because he knew that from that moment on, every time he would close his eyes, he would see the broken girl sitting hopeless on her bed. He silently closed the door, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and made his way back down to the kitchen. His suspicians all left once the door closed, now realizing that he actually felt the need for a hot blanket and that she wasn't just using it as a decoy.

His gaze stared down at the floor, counting each and every step he took by eights. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. He seemed to leave everything behind, and to this day he swears that he just shut himself in his mind.

As he made his way to the sink he noticed a small switch on the wall. He flicked it, and the wall separated to present him with an array of buttons and knobs. His brows scrunched in determintaion, and fifteen minutes later he found the small knob labeled 'Amu's Room.' It was the size of a walnut, but the whole heating system was three feet high, two feet wide. According to the little sticker, there were little mini heaters placed all over the mansion, but they are for small changes and also so that you don't have to walk all they way down to the kitchen. He switched it up by two degrees, just as he was told, and slammed the switch that opened the heating box, which closed it. He rubbed his eyes, the stinging getting worse with each moment that zipped past. He needed sleep, and he needed it fast.

He walked quickly back to her room, preparing to tell her that he needed to go. However, there was no need. She laid back, asleep. Her breathing was steady and her body still. Her face showed no emotion, just as it did during her waking time. He wanted to sit and watch her, but he was fighting a losing battle with sleep.

And he finally lost. After a few minutes of watching her, he slowly walked over to her bed. Slowly, his hand caressed her cheek, and he almost gasped. Her skin was smooth and fine, but it had a roughness to it. Almost as if she had once suffered from terrible burns or intense heat. The skin had healed, but it wouldn't ever be the same as it had been. But he didn't hate it. In fact, he liked it. Too soon, he found his lips resting upon her forehead.

He had always laughed at certain books and movies. "It's impossible to fall in love with someone so fast. How can you love someone you have only known for less than a month?" was what he would say. Well, he beat a new world record. He fell in love in less than a day with a strange teenager that treated him like crap. He was drowning in love for the first time in his life. But if it's your first time swimming, your likely to drown without some sort of life guard, in this case the person who loves you back. And in this ocean, his supposed help would turn to be his cause for death.

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Ikuto clung to his ears. He had no idea how many firefighters had passed his house, but he didn't care. If they would only SHUT UP! Five minutes passed until it was finally silent again. He plopped back down onto the bed, only to sit back up and jump for his car keys, slipp on his shoes, and run for the car. He scolded himself for not realizing the direction the firefighters were going.

Once he arrived at the center of his fears, he plummeted into terror. Firefighters were everywhere, water spraying all over the area. He almost fainted at the sight.

One whole half of the mansion was in flames. The half that Amu's room was in. The half the _heater_ was in. _'It's down in the kitchen by the sink, which is something I don't get. What if it were to get wet? BANG! That's what would happen.'_

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Thanks to those reading! You guys are awesome. If you see any mistakes, such as spelling, grammar, vocabulary, feel free to PM me or review about it. I also accept advice. ADVICE! I have nothing against the flamers. However, I only wish they would sometimes say it nicely. After all, a flamer is someone who gives advice in not-so-nice manner. So, take no offence. I only needed to vent a few feelings from my other account. So, PLEASE RxR!


	8. Teenage Bats

Wow. AWESOME responses! I'd like to thank ShugoPrincess, Black_kimono_otaku, Ikuto'slover1112, xXYoraXx, PrettyPrincessKirara, xXDrEaMsXCoMeXTrUeXx, Amuto20174, and RoundandRoundxKuruKurux966! Every review makes my life happier (a little weird....... whatever!) Oh, also, when you're done reading the chapter, i have a little side note at the end on the previous one. Read it, you'll regret it if you don't!

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He was searching rapidly through the ruins, looking for any sign of life. The fire had spread, and only one room of the mansion had been spared. The trees were darkened ashes, never to give oxygen to the world again, the sunflowers in the garden never to turn their hope-giving petals to the source of life-giving light again. Nothing was recognizable. Everything was either black and burnt wood or ashes, making him feel like he was walking on a sea of dead and tortured vampires. He had talked to the Head Deputy from the Fire Department, asking about the survivors they had managed to save. He told him that there were many survivors, and he needed to be specific.

"The teenage girl from the burning side of the building! Hinamori Amu!" he had said through a tight throat, the lingering smoke filling his lungs and thoughts fast as light flashing through his numb mind. But no matter how much he hoped and prayed, the truth was undeniable.

"Sorry, but we couldn't get anyone out of that side. By the time we arrived, that whole side was beyond rescue. Any servants, maids, butlers, and even teenagers died. I'm sorry," he had replied. "Heck, I'm even sorry for myself. How the hell am I supposed to tell Gozen-sama that his most prized possession is gone?" he had also added under his breath.

So now he went through the wreckage, wishing he had been one of the doomed vampires he imagined had screamed in agony as flames from the sun engulfed their whole being. He could picture it, trying to shield Amu from the unforgiving rays, burning at the same time, lips connected and whispering their love and anxious to meet again. Be it Hell, Heaven, or some other place. He wished that because at least he would have died with the feeling his life had been complete.

As he walked among the ruins of his most feared nightmare, he entered into another nightmare. The one with Amu laying on the bed in hopelessness, and him walking out of the room without a word as he left to create another living nightmare.

Wait. He rewound the nightmare, back to Amu laying on the bed trying to sink her only precious and memorable picture into her heart.

_The Picture. The Orphanage. Ichigo._

Ashes flew into the air and embraced the frantic man as he rushed -no, ran- back to his car. As they hugged him, he couldn't help but wonder if, maybe, some of the last remains of Amu were surrounding him, comforting him. He closed his eyes and bucked himself into auto-pilot, letting himself believe it was her ashes moving as if they were alive and dancing with adrenaline. He reached the car, but an idea spurred in his head. He stuck his hand in his pocket and grabbed the plastic bag from the cell he had recieved earlier that day and waved it in the air, catching the ashes. He closed the bag and gently kissed it. As he opened the door to his car and plopped himself lethargically in the drivers seat, he quietly whispered, "Goodbye, Amu. I'm sorry it was my love that did this to you."

He put the keys in the ignition and turned his wrist, preparing for the growling beast. He gave a sorry smile, knowing that the car wasn't the beast, but it was him. His car was on and ready, but he didn't go anywhere. Instead, he pulled out his cell and dialed Gozen's number.

"Hello sir. I'm sure you have heard about the day's events?" Gozen replied. "Yes, sir. I understand." Ikuto said back. Gozen said a few more words, and then Ikuto spoke. "Yes, I think I know what she would want, and I'll be happy to make sure it happens." Gozen spoke again. And Ikuto clenched his other hand around the circular device that directed the car as he gave an answer back. "There is only one thing I will need. Would it be possible for you to give me the address of the Orphanage she you adopted her from?"

* * *

He pulled into the parking lot and opened the door, greeted with the sounds of kids messing around in the nearby alleyway. 'Enjoy life, it can end faster than the sigh you give when you're assigned homework,' he tried to tell them from his head. He stepped out of the car and looked to the sky. After he was given the address, he had gone home and printed the reports the teachers had written. However, he was now standing in front of the run-down and surprisingly still standing orphanage. He couldn't imagine anyone living in a place like this, especially Amu. He couldn't help but feel that living here would be even worse than your fingers unable to escape a Chinese Finger-trap all your life. The only thing that anything he knew coming close to looking like the orphanage was the Weasley's house in the Harry Potter books, only less clean.

He shook and flapped his hands gently in the air to help rid of the sleepy tingle that had settled over the long half hour drive. His fingers had literally tried to strangle the steering wheel, adding to the tingle, due to emotions about to have an explosion equal to the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He checked his eyes for sleepies, cracked his knuckles, and put his best foot forward. His heart slowed and he found himself numbing with anxiety as he looked straight at the entranceway to the orphanage. When he finally found himself face-to-face with the dooming door, he finally lectured himself for acting like a depressed, overdramatic widow who lost her husband in a tragic accident.

His knuckles hit the door, ears pounding with each knock. He waited a while, trying to imagine who would greet him from the other side of the door. He almost gave a small smile at the muffled sound of kids running around as if on an extra-fast merry-go-round. He wondered if, just maybe, Amu had been so full of life when she was here. He also wonde3red what would have happened had Gozen not taken her away and adopted the eleven-year old. He could only shake his fist in anger at the world and cuss the wind blowing across the Earth in anger and overwhelming depression. After all, there was nothing he could do but hope that she might rest more peacefully once this was over. He could only hope.

The door finally smashed open, a centimeter away from receiving the first bitch-slap given by a door. He stepped back a few steps, grateful that whoever opened the door had skillfully grabbed him by the wrist and prevented his head gruesomely smashing against the old and cracked concrete. After the shock finally left his nerves alone, he cleared his throat and went straight to the point.

"You wouldn't know about a girl named Hinamori Amu, would you?" The woman's eyes grew wide as she started to hyperventilate. Just as Ikuto started to panic and reach for her, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small spray bottle. After a few squirts, she calmed down and took in the situation handed to her on a silver platter. She was wearing torn jeans with a dirty t-shirt. Her hair looked like brown moss all tangled in a mass of overgrowth, eyes so exhausted it seemed they even struggled to continue giving off the fading hazel color. However, she didn't look unhappy or miserably shot out. It appeared that she wrapped herself in her past to live through the present. She almost reminded him of Amu. Almost……

But her look of surprise faded, defeated and conquered by a look of suspicion. He had accurately guessed to a T that he would receive this reaction. They probably hadn't heard from or about Amu in years, and he suddenly shows up and starts on about her before he even greeted them. He had popped up like a groundhog would on Groundhog's Day. Before she could say a single word, he went on.

"I'm an art teacher from Seiyo High. I was assigned by Gozen to watch over Amu and make sure she didn't get into mischief. I also took it upon myself to help her socially and academically. If it is not a problem, I would like to talk to a _nakayoshi _of hers' when she was here," he said with fluent and practiced pulchritude. The woman in front of him immediately loosened, replying with, "Dozo ohairi kudasai!" Taking him by the collar, she dragged him across the floor as if he was a ten year old boy who had hit someone in the face with a baseball bat. It hurt, but it also fondly reminded him of when he was a kid. The whole house was nothing but stained white walls and wood floors that more than squeaked, almost seeming to talk to you.

"Nagehiko, Tadase, Yaya, Rima, Kuukai, Kairi! Get your butts down here now!" she yelled as they walked into a room with a wooden table seating 25 people. She pushed him into the nearest chair and grabbed his chin. She turned his head side-to-side, trying to find any demons he was hiding. He only sat quietly, knowing that one wrong move could ruin everything. In a matter of mere seconds of being searched, he heard laughing and the rushing of footsteps running energetically. He prepared himself to be bombarded with a bunch of teens, but confusion swept him away when he heard the footsteps go in different directions, the kids separating. The sayings "Koji ma Oshi" and "Kokai saki ni tatazu" popped into his mind. Why, he didn't know. Soon, he heard footsteps on all sides. He knew this strategy all too well. Divide and Conquer. Well, they divided, but what were they conquering? His curiosity grew as he heard the woman start clicking her tongue as if they had done this many, many times before and she could only find it amusing. All together, he heard the kids suddenly stop at the same moment, surrounding him on all sides on the other side of the wall. Minutes seemed to pass like snails as he waited for the inevitable. Soon, all sound of approaching kids diminished. They almost seemed to disappear in thin air. So, he almost had a heart attack when six teenagers suddenly fell right in front of him, dangling upside-down from the ceiling like teenage bats.

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Ok. As far as I know, no one caught the little hint i gave you guys last chapter. Want to know what it was? Well here it is!

"Her skin was smooth and fine, but it had a roughness to it. Almost as if she had once suffered from terrible burns or intense heat. The skin had healed, but it wouldn't ever be the same as it had been."

So, what do you think? Review and I'll know! I'll also be eternaly grateful!


	9. Death, death, and more death

Ok, I'm so sorry for the long wait! Issues came up and it took a while to get back into my usual writing habits. I'm excited to get this posted and to start on the new chapter! I spent over an hour slaving over my laptop to finish this. I hope you like it, and I hope you will give enough mercy to send even a small review! It may sound stupid, but the minute I get a review is the minute I become so happy that I stare at the screen for fifteen minutes and smile like an idiot. Then I open word and get typing. So, here it is~

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The older and worn-down woman was finally able to calm the excited and curious teens. Kuukai and Yaya had decided to continue hanging like bats, seeing who could hang upside-down the longest. However, the rest were sitting silently, waiting to hear what the strange and unknown man had to say. Before he said a single word, he handed each person in the room a copy of the teachers' reports he had previously printed for this sole purpose. It didn't take long before all the papers were thrown to the side, the readers disturbed by the supposed mental change in the girl they had come to know as family. Ikuto could tell they were skeptical of the authenticity of the shown evidence, and all he could think was how much he wanted to be able to think the same thing. But he couldn't, and he was going to make sure they couldn't either.

"It's true, what they said in those reports. Hinamori Amu was different from all of my other students in almost every aspect. You could feel her presence in the air, but no one dared to talk to her. She had the potential to be the most popular girl, several powerful friends and boys crawling at her feet without using the power of her money. But she chose not to. A closer look told you she was scared. She didn't want to have to go through the pain of losing someone important, no matter what the reason," he stated. It wasn't until he had said it out loud that he realized the truth of his words. Despite how hard it hit him in his heart, he continued because he wanted Amu to rest with the knowledge that her family, and the boy she loved, knew of her fate and her love for them.

"Mr. Hinamori cared undyingly for her, trying everything in his power to bring her out of her shell. As her art teacher, I was asked by Mr. Hinamori to watch over her at all times, be it socially, academically, emotionally, mentally, and in any other form needed to keep her safe and happy. I watched over her, observed her more than anyone else at the school, and only found a lonely girl hiding in her skin. Yes, she moved several times and met several different people, but her heart stayed here the whole time. And that's why I'm here," he began, trying to grab their full attention. They were all looking at him, but only one person spoke up.

"And what exactly do you mean by that? Why does that make it so necessary for you to come and interrupt our daily activities?" the green-haired boy asked, pushing up the glasses that were slipping down his nose, held together by a small piece of thin scotch tape.

"Because certain… circumstances have forced me to come and see a boy named Ichigo for her. May I ask which one of you is Ichigo?" Ikuto reasoned, doing everything in his power to not grab the boy and yell in his face that she was gone, that he had to do this for her. But he counter-attacked the urge, telling himself there was no way the boy could know what had happened, that the wonderful girl with great potential had left. Forever.

_Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. _The word echoed in his head, a word that tore his whole being to little shreds. And for the millionth time since his realization, he asked himself why she effected him to the point of insanity. He hardly knew her and she had hardly knew him. And for the millionth time, he couldn't find the answer. Figuring that it would be best to stay in the moment, he returned his attention to the kids, preparing himself to face the boy who could hopefully put Amu to rest, something that Ikuto couldn't do.

But no one stepped forward. The kids still sat in the chairs, except for the two hanging from the ceiling, faces red from the rushing of their blood to their faces. Awkwardness covered them like a blanket, a hot, suffocating blanket. Beginning to grow impatient, he clenched his fists behind his back and asked the question again.

"There's no need to be embarrassed. I won't do anything, but it's important that I speak to Ichigo," he was able to throw out in a pleasant tone filled with tension. But instead of someone jumping up, the six messy kids only gave small glances towards each other, small glances filled with tension. And anxiety.

Ikuto was wondering if he should leave when the green-haired boy spoke up for the second time.

"He's not here." Satisfied with finally receiving an answer to his question, he nodded his head and asked when would be the best time to come back and talk to him. But it wasn't any of the kids who answered his question.

"You see, he won't be back. Ever," was the tired women's reply. Before anything else was said she turned to the suddenly sad and worried kids and quickly guided them to the door, telling them to wait outside until dinner was ready. The second the door was shut behind them she went straight to the point.

"About four months ago, we received a letter from the police station. It said that they were planning to reopen the case of Ichigo and Amu's parents' death. It asked if he approved of the plan, and that if so, he would come in for some questioning. He full heartedly agreed and two days later he was on his way to the station. He made it to the main lobby and was told to wait in the room where he would be interviewed. It was a small room, nothing but two wooden chairs, a wooden desk with no drawers, and a cordless lamp to make up for the purposeful lack of electricity. The interviewer had been taking a small lunch break and was a little late, who was supposed to be back shortly. Five minutes after he was sent to the room, the interviewer arrived and made his way to the room. But when he opened the door, he opened a view of Hell itself.

"Wood from the desk and chairs joined with the glass from the lamp in a massive mess. You wouldn't have been able to tell that the wood had originally been furniture, along with making it dangerous to walk in the room without heavy durable boots. Blood drenched three of the walls, pieces of wood and glass stuck to the red fluid. They tested the fluid, and it wasn't human blood. It was the blood of a goat. There were dents in the wall, and in some places the dents almost cut right through it. And Ichigo was nowhere to be found. It was all gruesome, but there was one thing that stood out the most. On the fourth wall the Sign of Baphomet was drawn in blood. Other than the devil's sign, the wall was spotless."

"No one knows exactly what happened. They didn't put any surveillance cameras because he wasn't any danger. They were only going to ask him questions about anyone suspicious he saw on the night their parents died. However, they were going to record the interview so they would have physical evidence of him giving any evidence. The thing was, the interviewer had the recorder on him. And all of our searching for him has turned up empty. We don't even know if he is alive," she explained, while finding a chair and clenching her fists in her lap. It was obvious the experience had shaken her, and Ikuto couldn't possibly blame her. He was shaken up, and he hadn't even seen it. He hadn't even known Ichigo. Not to mention he was frustrated. Two innocent kids were killed, both leaving with the sign of the devil.

And instantly Ikuto almost punched himself for not realizing it. Amu had it carved onto her stomach. He didn't know if Ichigo had any sign carved into his skin, but he knew he was taken or killed with the sign right in front of him. There had to be a connection, there had to be a bigger picture. And he knew he needed to find that picture. Fast. But first, he had to finish business with the orphanage.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. I know Amu cared for him, even loved him. If she were here, I know she would be devastated," he consoled. He had tried to make the comment seem as innocent as possible without revealing too much. He didn't want to know how she would take Amu's right then and there. But this woman wasn't an idiot.

"What do you mean if she was here? Did she send you here alone? Or is there more to it than that?" she asked, eyes narrowing. She was suspicious, not of Ikuto, but of the slight reference to Amu's absence. Clearing his throat, Ikuto braced himself for whatever would come with the words he spoke next.

"Actually, that's what I'm here to talk about. The reason I'm here is to tell you that Hinamori Amu died in a fire just two days ago. It's a terrible loss," he said, eyes closed and imagining himself doing anything but what he had to do, especially after he felt something hard as a rock hit the back of his head. He turned around in his seat to face whoever had thrown that lollipop at his head. He saw that there were two girls and one boy. The boy had long purple hair and was glaring daggers at him, hand outstretched from throwing the lollipop. For a second, Ikuto could almost imagine him running up at him with a knife of some sorts. But he wouldn't have guessed at first. He seemed so gentle when he sat in front of him as he asked for Ichigo. Standing next to him was a crying girl with her orange hair in two pigtails, yelling what seemed to be a mix of the word 'lollipop' and 'Amu'. But when Ikuto looked down at the ball sitting next to the small crying girl, he really did almost mistake it for a ball. But in reality, it was a small girl with the longest blonde hair he had ever seen on someone of her size.

He sat and stared at them until they calmed down, waiting for them to get to a point where they could have a nonviolent talk. Once they did calm, he finally moved his gaze to the door, where two heads were barely visible. They were eavesdropping. And one of them tried and failed to hold back and hide the tears in his eyes. The green haired boy was leaning against the frame of the door, obviously trying to calm his nerves down. Standing next to him sat a blonde-haired boy with a runny nose and watery eyes, and the last boy with the red hair had most likely left the scene or had decided to not eavesdrop. It was clear that they weren't expecting to hear the news, nor were they ready to. But he needed to finish what he had set out to do.

"I'm trying my hardest to find a way to investigate her death, and I will see if it would be possible to possibly even look into Ichigo's case. But I came here to ask Ichigo a question, but seeing as he isn't here, we'll have to make a change of plans. We will be having a funeral for Amu and the others that were caught in the fire, despite the lack of a body, and I'm in charge. I had wanted to know if Ichigo would be at all willing to attend the funeral and give a speech on her behalf. I would also have been willing to let him help carry the casket into the hearse and to the burial. But since he is no longer with us, I will let her friends here take his place. You can choose to have one of them represent all of them for a speech or for each one to have their own small speech. However, if they all do one they will not be able to talk for over five minutes. They can also help carry her casket," he finished and offered, gathering all his stuff and standing up from his chair. He walked over to the orphanage women and reached into his pocket, pulling out a paper with his number scribbled on it.

"If you need anything, you can reach me with that number. I'll be back in two days to hear your decision. I understand if you choose not to come, but I think it would put her soul at ease to know you all are well and alive, and that you still remember and care for her. That is all," Ikuto finished, heading toward the door. But when he realized something right before reaching the door, he turned around to face the woman again.

"I'm sorry, but is it okay if I ask for your name?" he asked, watching as she stood up from her chair and started wiping her eyes with her shirt. She slowly nodded her head.

"Call me Shizu."

And with that, he walked out of the orphanage, not letting himself look back for the sole purpose of not joining them in a mourning hour full of weeping. He walked as quickly as he could to his car, pulling out his cell phone and dialed a number. He put it to his ear as he opened the car door and was relieved when he heard a "mushii mushii. You have reached the line for the Seiyo Library of Criminal Cases. What can I help you with?" on the other end.

"I would like to know if there is a file relating to a girl named Amu and a boy named Ichigo."

"Well, according to the computer, we do. Before releasing any information to you, I would like to ask you a few questions for identification." Ikuto gave a sigh of relief and began answering all the questions thrown at him while he started the car and began to make his way to the Seiyo Library of Criminal Cases.

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Well, there you go. I'll apologize for any grammatical and/or spelling errors right now, and will accept any advice and criticism! As long as it's not a complete flame, I take all advice and criticsm with open arms. Please forgive my bad hiatus and R&R! R&R! R&R! R&R!R&R! R&R!~


	10. Surprises around every corner

Okay, I'm back. Honestly, I'm surprised it took me so long to post this. My computer has been having issues, and several other things have popped up here and there. I've also been working on my other to fanfics, "Why I Want Revenge, Ichigo" and "A Broken Heart Put Back Together." And somebody asked me why this story is rated M, so I'll answer that question at the end of the chapter for those who are curious. I plan to be responding to questions as soon as possible. but, here it is! Enjoy, and when you're done reading it, review about your thoughts. I would love to hear them!

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Ikuto slammed his car door shut, a small paper with a sloppily-scribbled address, some personal information, and entrance code written on it. His heart started to beat faster in anticipation as he approached the Seiyo Library of Criminal Cases building. The only parking spot available was in the very back, so while he made the long trek to the biggest, whitest, and most elaborate building he had ever seen, he retraced his steps from the first moment he saw her. He looked back to find the moment in time that he showed the slightest bit of emotion (that didn't revolve around confusion and irritation) toward the girl.

From the moment Amu had stomped into the gymnasium (after the principle's obvious attempt to suck-up towards the girl) and gave the worst introduction speech he had ever heard, he knew that she would be nothing but trouble. However, it took a whole class period full of her sass, back-talk, and apathy, did he realize that she would be more trouble than she appeared to be. He was absolutely positive that she would be a demon after the worst one-on-one student meetings that he had ever gone through.

It was that one recording that was sent to his phone about Amu's critical condition that triggered a chain of horrifying events. As he recalled his panicked rush to reach Amu before her condition grew worse, he asked himself what had impulsively and unconsciously influenced him to rush to the sassy girl's dying ass. He knew it was more than pitying her or just doing what he was paid to do. He needed to show her true kindness. He needed to know why such a depressing picture as the one on his classroom wall captivated her so much. He needed her to know what she was hiding behind her emotional wall. He needed her to bring excitement into his life. And that wouldn't be possible without her alive and well. In reality, he just needed her to live. 

After that, everything just unraveled all on its own. From the moment he sat down by her bed, she honestly carved a place into his heart. And she carved it with a chainsaw.

But that hole wasn't the place she needed to be. She needed, more than anything, to be in Ichigo's heart. That was where she would have been happiest.

And that was why he wanted Ichigo to know just how important he was to her, and that her true home would always be with him, in life or death. That knowledge is what kept him going.

That's why Ikuto's only comfort was blasted into millions of little pieces when he was told of Ichigo's disappearances. But by the time he had walked through the door, he had put two and two together and decided that he would find the meaning behind the links that connected the Sigil of Baphomet, Amu, Ichigo, fire, and tragedy. And in order to find this meaning, he needed any files that contained information on Amy, Ichigo, and the Sigil of Baphomet.

* * *

"Chikusho," Ikuto growled as he shoved the last file into its drawer. He had spent the past two hours looking through more files than he had ever seen in his lifetime. And that was only a small portion of all the files.

The room Ikuto was led into was the biggest room he had ever seen. This room held 150 filing cabinets, each cabinet containing 100 files. The cabinets were placed in the center of the room, all in rows. Videos, pictures, and encyclopedias sat on shelves that were lined against the wall, only adding to the claustrophobia that was slowly making its way to Ikuto's mind.

But it wasn't the claustrophobia that was frustrating him to his breaking point. He had spent two hours going through all the possible letters that would contain anything related to Amu and Ichigo. He had searched through A (for Amu), H (for Hinamori), I (for Ichigo), S (for Sigil), B (for Baphomet), and C (for Church of Satan), yet there was not a single report that was related to his case. It seemed that the building had the files and records kept on every single crime in Seiyo but the one he was looking for.

And he couldn't see why the lady on the phone had said they had information on Hinamori Amu. He couldn't ask her though; the only reason they allowed him access to the high-security room was due to his useful connection with Gozen. They weren't able to tell him where to find the file because of their stupid file searcher. Type in a keyword or person and it will find any file related to the name or keyword. But it doesn't tell you where the file was located. But unlike them, Ikuto knew that he would make sure the manager of Seiyo Library of Criminal Cases would know where his complaint would be located.

Ikuto swore to god that someone would end up dead by tomorrow if there was nothing in the millions of videos and encyclopedias before dusting off his pants and moving on to the wall.

Luckily, Ikuto found out that there would be no dead bodies the next day within five minutes of reaching the wall. It was a video, in the 'A' section under the name of "Amu's Interview." Ikuto ripped the video off the shelf and walked over to the 'I' section with a triumphant smile. Fifteen minutes later Ikuto finally found his needed materials and walked towards the center of the room, where he was told that there was a secret trap door that led to a small room with a chair, a T.V., a VCR, and a DVD player was located.

The only thing he had on his mind was his small victory as he bent down, looped his finder into the small hole on the ground, and quickly pulled off the barrier to the small T.V. room. His head was full of nothing but anticipation as he cautiously made his way down the rotting staircase. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, he was greeted by a small white room with a simple wooden chair and a medium-sized television that looked anything but up-to-date. The two-in-one VCR and DVD player looked slightly newer, though still fairly old compared to the latest ones that have come out.

And when he set everything but the "Amu's Interview" video on the desk he started to wonder if he could really handle the contents of the video. But he pushed the question away without a second thought and slipped the video out of its case.

Before slowly pushing in the video, he took a few seconds to stop and remind himself that no matter how many times he could watch this video, it would never be able to replace the original Amu, just as no one or anything could replace her. It couldn't challenge him with the first rounds of sarcasm and teasing he had known in a long time. It couldn't replace the way she made him care. The only other person who was ever able to accomplish such a feat was his sister.

Ikuto almost have a small chuckle as a scene made its way into his head. He saw himself, just standing somewhere, as Amu randomly walked right past him. She faced him and crossed her arms before asking, "Do you believe in love at first sight, or do I have to walk in front of you again?" Yes, the question was amusing, but it his answer that had started to tug on him. She wouldn't have to walk in front of him again. For the first time in his life, Ikuto truly believed in love at first sight. It was also the first time in his life that he was experiencing the feeling of love at first sight.

And that love just happened to belong to his rich, troubled, sassy, lonely, and dead Hinamori Amu. And he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

Ikuto gave a small, relieved sigh as he finally pushed the play button that he had been trying to un-jam for the past 20 minutes. His legs had gone sore from their over-use since his first visit to the orphanage, and they fell asleep not too long after sitting on them while he tried to fix the damn play button. And by the time he was done fixing it, he couldn't feel his legs at all. It felt like fifty extra-strength Tylenol couldn't possibly help the agony in his head from his increasingly-worse migraine. His body wanted him to just leave the videos and crash right there on the floor.

Despite all of the pain, he sat down and kept his eyes fixed on the FBI warning that appeared on the screen, just as most all videos show.

His only reason for not going to sleep right then and there was the fact that he only had one more day until he needed to go back to work and he needed all the time he could get.

But he wouldn't be an art teacher for very long. In two weeks he would be ditching the paint and low pay for a magnifying glass and a wallet overflowing with cash. Gozen had hired him to solve a few problems. Gozen wanted to know if what caused the fire was really due to a mistake with the heater or if there was more to the situation than what was known. He also wanted to solve the case of Ichigo's sudden disappearance and what really happened the night of Ichigo and Amu's parents' deaths and/or murder. He had been offered the job the night of Amu's death, right after Ikuto had left the rubble and ran to his car so he could ask about Amu's funeral, what to do about her friends at the orphanage, and the actual reason behind the fire. He was told that he would have a wallet overflowing with money and the greatest thrill of his life. But that wasn't his reason for taking the job. He did it for an explanation.

And he felt that was what he was going to get once the video started playing.

It started out like any other cop-scene in an old drama movie. It was a small room with only a table, lamp and a few chairs. Plus, it was all in black and white. A middle-aged man with brown hair sat in one of the plain, wooden chairs, looking through a few papers attached to a clipboard. After what seemed to be forever, but was actually only a few seconds, Amu walked into the room with her hands handcuffed behind her back. Her hair was covered by a bandana, and it was the only thing she was wearing other than a light hospital gown. Her golden eyes were confused and scared, quickly scanning the room for anything suspicious.

Once the door was shut behind her, the man on the wooden chair looked up and motioned towards a chair sitting right in front of him. She walked slowly toward the chair. Her eyes glazed over, and she seemed to suddenly shut down, just like the eyes of the older Amu Ikuto had come to love. The young girl struggled to get onto the chair, but it wasn't too long until she gave up and sat next to the chair. Once she looked comfortable, the police man started asking questions. No introductions, warnings, or long speeches.

"Do you know where you were when you noticed the house was burning?" he politely asked, staring into her empty eyes. Her response was a simple shrug of her shoulders. The officer slowly shook his head.

"Did you not hear me? I asked where you were when you noticed the fire."

She gave another shrug. With a small sigh, the cop decided to ask a different question.

"Would you happen to know if there would be anyone who wouldn't like your parents?"

He received a shrug for the third time. The interview went on for another ten minutes, asking questions like "Did you see anybody suspicious that night," and "Were your parents having any social and/or financial issues?" All were replied with a shrug.

But she was left speechless when she heard the very last question she was asked.

"Your medical results are quite interesting. Would you know why cocaine and heroine has been found in your system?"

* * *

Rated M: warning for people who mind mild language, mention of violence, drugs, find offence towards mention of Church of Satan, and possibly a lemon in future chapters (see if I can write a better one than the one I wrote last time)

_**~READ AND REVIEW! R&R!~**_


	11. Plum Trees and Schoolbags

I really didn't expect this to be updated so soon, to tell you the truth. After all, I have been working on my other stories. But I also didn't expect it to be so short, either. But I thought I might as well post it, considering the fact that I have no idea how long it will take me to update, what with the work I'll be doing from school and as the co-editor in chief of our school's yearbook. It wasn't necessarily my choice, but I don't necessarily mind, either. I'm hoping it will give me some inspiration for my stories, something that I've been lacking as of late. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, and I'm excited for the next chapter. I think I'm more excited about posting the next one then any other chapter I've posted. So, enjoy and review! Please! You don't know how much reviews motivate me!

* * *

"What's that?" Amu asked as she crossed her arms and questioningly looked at her interviewer.

"Well, they are dangerous and illegal drugs. Tell me, did your parents ever give you any unusual powers or chemicals?" he asked as he looked down at his paper and started writing. A few moments passed by before Amu finally gave her answer.

"A long time ago I found a baggy with lots of weird stuff. Mommy said it was weed, and that weed makes you feel happy. Every once in a while, they'd give me a little bit. Not as often as Mommy, though. Is that what you're talking about?"

The interviewer slowly nodded his head yes as he hurriedly wrote down what her response.

"You are free to go. I'm done asking questions," the man excused. Amu slowly stood up, clutching the sides of her hospital gown, and ran out of the room. The movie ended even faster than it had started.

Ikuto was absolutely speechless. He had always imagined Amu's past to be kind and loving. He had pictured her parents as an average housewife and business man, with your typical house and everyday garden in the lawn. A normal family that met a tragic end. But now, he didn't know what to think. The interview had left him with so many questions and practically no answers.

But he couldn't dwell on the video forever. There were certainly more parts of the story Ikuto needed to find before making any rash assumptions.

With a sigh, Ikuto stood up and walked over to the VCR. He replaced Amu's interview with Ichigo's interview and walked back to the couch.

Once the video ended, he realized that the interviews weren't going to do anything for him. This video had started out just like Amu's had. Same interviewer, same room, same everything. Ichigo had walked in with nothing but a hospital robe, and he was also unable to climb onto the chair, therefore he decided he would also sit by the chair, just as Amu had. The interviewer asked the exact same questions, almost as if he was reading off of a script. Ichigo gave the exact same reply as Amu had to every question: a simple shrug of the shoulders. The only difference between the two interviews was the fact that Ichigo never received any questions relating to drugs of any sort. Ikuto concluded that Amu must have been the only one who ever received drugs.

For the second time, he walked to the VCR and took out the video. After the video was secure in its place, he picked up the encyclopedia and turned to the S section, knowing that what he wanted to find wouldn't be there. He still had yet to find the Sigil of Baphomet in an encyclopedia. If only he could remember where he had learned about its existence…

Just as he expected, there was no Sigil of Baphomet.

Gathering everything he had taken from the shelves in the room above him, he made his way up the stairs and put everything back where it belonged. He left the building and hopped into his car, expecting to go home and get some sleep before going to work the next day. But he just couldn't seem to concentrate on driving; there were many other things on his mind that seemed more important. After all, he knew his way home like he knew the back of his hand. Well, maybe not.

It wasn't too long until Ikuto realized that he hadn't driven home. Instead, he found himself driving circles around the rubble that was once Amu's home. Stopping the car, he silently chuckled to himself and stepped out of the car. He might as well walk around while he was there. And maybe he could even salvage something of Amu's out of the rubble. Something had to have stayed untouched by the fire.

Ikuto spent over a half hour digging through large pieces of charred wood, ashes, and sharp glass shards before finally giving up on finding anything. It seemed that the only thing that survived the fire was large tree that sat on the side of what had previously been Amu's balcony. It was the only tree left standing. It was slightly burnt here and there, but otherwise, it was completely untouched.

Ikuto turned back to walk to his car, but he stopped in his tracks after walking halfway to the vehicle that seemed so warm and comfortable. After all, Ikuto certainly had not planned on staying out so late, and had therefore decided to not bring a jacket. Despite this, he just couldn't seem to shake off the feeling that he needed to take a closer look at the tree. It was stupid, and he knew it. However, that didn't stop him from grabbing onto the nearest, sturdiest branch and swiftly pulling himself up.

Once on the branch, he suddenly found himself trying to be pushed off by a large, leafy branch. In an attempt to keep from falling and cracking his head open, he tried to grab the branch and push it away. But when he grabbed it, instead of his left hand grabbing onto a hard, coarse bark, his hand grabbed something fragile and soft, so it was completely squashed when Ikuto pulled his hand back. He saw that his hand had a small coating of an unknown purple, sticky juice. He pushed aside some leaves to see what he had just grabbed. It turned out to be a plum. The tree was actually a plum tree.

'Wait, is that a piece of string?' Ikuto questioned in his head when he noticed a piece of red string hanging next to the spot where he had grabbed the soft plum. Ikuto's common sense told him it would be stupid to pull the string, but he did it anyway. He was already going against everything his common sense told him, and he found no reason to stop.

When he tugged on the string it fell through a small cranny between two branches and fell into his hand.

It was Amu's red schoolbag.

But why would her schoolbag be in a tree? And it felt unusually light for a schoolbag… not to mention that it was the only thing that was left untouched by the fire. Well, that and the tree.

Ikuto unzipped the zipper, which just happened to have a key connected to it, expecting to find an art pad or two. Instead, he found something completely different, unexpected and the most exciting and confusing thing he had seen since laying his eyes his sassy student Amu.

In her schoolbag were three notebooks, colored blue, red, and green. Each had a lock, which were probably opened by the key on the zipper. All three were also labeled 'Amu's Diary'.

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I completely agree. It's not fair to leave you on such a big cliffhanger, but if I didn't, it would probably have taken at least another month for you to get this. Anyways, R&R! I beg of you! It lets me know all of this time and effort isn't a complete waste!


	12. Keep my secrets safe, Amu

Okay, first of all, I'm SSSSOOOOO sorry for taking so long to update. I was dragged into doing too many after school activities, and I've found it hard trying to find time to write, read, and even draw. But I've spent the winter break working really hard on this chapter, and I hope you guys enjoy it. I will apologize ahead of time if you have difficulty reading most of Amu's diary entries. She starts off at the age of seven, and I want this to seem as realistic as possible, so I tried to spell like a seven year old. I didn't bother to change the grammer too much, but some of it is still written like a seven year old. In addition, I beg of you to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. I've had a lack of inspiration due to a lack of reviews. I don't deserve it, I know, but it would make continuing a lot more easier.

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Ikuto opened all three diaries to the front page, checking the first entry in each. He didn't want to read them out of order, considering that would probably just create a lot of confusion he didn't need. Once he checked each diary, he went back to the red one, which had the earliest entry out of them all. Teardrop stains littered the page, and it was obvious just by the first sentence that this girl's writing skills were far beyond most seven year olds, though she still had a lot of room for improvement.

_March 27, 2001_

_Hi, diary!_

_Wow, this feels somewhat weird. Usually I'm writing stories and drawing, not writing a diary. However, luckily I have my dicsionary and gramar book that the nurses gave me. But I'll still probably have some mistakes here and there._

_Anyways, this is my first time I've every written in a diary. I've always recorded them and put them in something mommy would call an adio tape. But all my tapes are locked in storaje, and I don't now how to get there without mommy's help. I only had one tape left, and I used it to record as much of what I coud remember from the fire as possible._

_Diary, do you have any idea how depresed and lonely I feel? Coud you posibly even imajine how much pane I'm in? Both fysically and emotionally? Everione's telling me and Ichigo that if we tak it out and releese our built up emotians we'll feel better and more releeved. But everitime we try it just gets more and more paneful. Now I feel that Ichigo is the on person I have left who I can onestly confide my feelings in without the feer of my pane groing. Me and Ichigo think it's becuse the others just can't understand what we're going throo._

_But we stil have a reeson to be hopful. We wer told that when we're releesed from the hospital we'll be given a new start. We don't have any detals, but hopfuly we'll find a way to be happy again. Maybe we'll efen get a new mommy and daddy. We coud efen get new siblings! I've always wanted a litle brother or sister. Ichigo is the closest thing I've efer had to another kid in the family._

_But don't get me rong! I wouldn't trad Ichigo for 50 quadrilion brothers and sisters. We plan on getting maried when we get older. We want to get maried by the tim we turn 16. Everione tells us that's unreealistic, but we don't car what they say! We love eech other, and not efen superman coud stop us! Besids, everione also tells us we're beeyond our years._

_Once we're maried, we're going to have 30 kids. But first we need to leern how to make babys. Mommy said that 'such nowlege shoud be reserfed for when you're older,' or watefer that's suposed to mean. Wel, pooey her! _

_Ichigo's getting reely frustrated. He's been waeeting for his food for a long tim. It's kind of funy. His pouty face is adorable yet hilarios at the same time! The nurses efen had to tak away the buzer that magicaly tells them we need something (I wonder if they can tell me how they use the magic…). He woudn't stop presing it. I woud have helped him, but there's only 1 buzer. Plus, I still can't get out of bed._

_Efery nit before I go to bed he puts a hand on my stomac and says "fire and bones may brake your bones, but still, they can never harm your sole." Just heering him say that calmes me down. I can't efen imagine a life without my presious Ichigo._

_Diary, my tummy hurts reelly bad, but no one will tell me why. They said I'd have to wait until it's healed enouf to take off the bandajes. But it'll never fully heel. It's like the majoriti of my skin was cooked alife. My skin is fated to be rouf and scrachy forefer. _

_I have to go now. The nurse wants me to go to bed eerly for an eerly-morning chek-up._

_Talk later, _

_Amu_

Ikuto couldn't help but feel the urge to give a little chuckle. It wasn't his fault he found the thought of Amu running around in a little baby dress talking on and on in that cute over-exaggerating baby-talk slightly funny.

He sighed, suddenly feeling slightly more light-hearted. He wished terribly that somehow he could see Amu, just to tease her about her diary, and to see her reaction if he were to do so. Would she turn red, start stuttering, and get embarrassed, or would she put on her usual façade and just order a bunch of guys to defend her?

Of course, he would never let anyone else know of what was really going on through his head about this girl. However, considering he was all alone in the middle of the ruins of a major fire sitting in a big plum tree, no one was going to pass by anytime soon. That gave him the right to show a bit of emotion, right? It didn't matter whether he gave a tiny chuckle or not, did it?

Sighing, he skipped some pages in the diary, seeing as many of the entries seemed to mainly consist of doctor check ups and complaints about the hospital food. Finally, after a few minutes, he found an entry that seemed to have some actual importance.

_April 16, 2001_

_Hi diary!_

_I's finally hapening! I can't believe it! Nurse Betty told me that in for hours they're going to finally take off my bandajes. It just makes me so exsited, thow not as exsited as Ichigo is. He can't wait until I can get out of bed. He'll finally have someone to play with, and I'll finally be able to play!_

_But I'm woried about Ichigo. Every day he eets less and less, every night he toses and turns wile screeming my name. and as time goes by, he makes less and less iye contact with me. And I now it's because he's feeling guiltee. Idiot Ichigo alwais blames himself if aneething efer happens to me. I don't want him to be worried about me. As his fuchure wife, I need to be able to be strong and responsible so that I don't get in his way._

_That's why I've desided that once I can get out of bed, I'm goeeng to start my latest project: 'Trane uper-duper hard to become an uper-duper-super strong and kawaii and perfect and amasing wife'! Now I'll nefer make him sad agen. It's the perfect plan!_

_We got a new nurse today. Her name is… (continues on)_

Ikuto almost fell out of the tree. The 'Trane uper-duper hard to become an uper-duper-super strong and kawaii and perfect and amasing wife' beat anything else she had written in the diary. He had heard of some pretty stupid names for some pretty stupid plans, but this definitely topped the list. Especially considering that this came from Amu herself. He continued on to the next page.

_April 17, 2001_

_Hi diary!_

_Okay. I now that yesterda I said that my 'Trane uper-duper hard to become an uper-duper-super strong and kawaii and perfect and amasing wife' was the perfect plan, but I mit have been rong. I tried getting his brekfast, but I spilt it on him… then I tried to reed him his faforite book, but I spilt his juice all ofer it. After that, I tried cleening up or room that we shaare, but somhow ended up presing a buton on his bed that shut it and skuished him. I'm nefer going to get this rit!_

_Talk later,_

_Amu_

Ikuto, once again, found himself amazed at this girl's amazing lack of common sense. Slightly shaking his head in amusement, he skipped to the next two weeks, where she finally stopped talking about all of her 'dates' with Ichigo in the hospital cafeteria and got to something important.

_May 1, 2001_

_Hi diary!_

_Okay, finally! Sorry I couln't write yesterday. I was busy getting reedy to get to me and Ichigo's new home! In fact, that's where I am rit now. Sure, it's not the safest, most sanitary, most healthy, most supportive, most comfortable, most peeceful plase to live, but that's fine with us! _

_There are lots of fun kids around here. Nagehiko is reelly gracful, and he loves basketball. Tadase is cute, charming, and princley, but he has a slitly big ego. His smil is amasing, to. If I didn't have Ichigo, I woud have fallen in love with him at first site! Yaya may be 6, but she stil acts likes she's 2. She also loves kandi. Rima is shi and cool, but she reelly likes comedi. I'm one of the few who now, since I ran into her when she was practising her comedic act. Kuukai is amasing. He's athletik, cuut, kind, under standing, supportife, funni, and fun guy. If it wasn't for Ichigo, I think he woud be my bestest frend! (Wow. I just notised that Ichigo tops my list of most favoritist peeple of all tim, including frends and crushes!) Kairi is kind of akward and shi, but he's reelly, reelly smart! I think I'm reelly going to like it here!_

_Talk later,_

_Amu_

Ikuto shut the book. It was getting dark, and he didn't want to have to drive in pitch blackness. Plus, he was starting to have a hard time reading with the poor lighting. He put the diaries into the bag he found them in, slung it over his shoulders, and jumped out of the tree. On his way to the car he slipped his new phone out of his pocket and dialed the number to reach Gozen.

"Hello, this is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I'm sorry to bother you, but would you mind giving me another day off from work at the school? I found some… records, if you must, that could prove very useful to Amu's case."

…..

"Well, I believe they may reveal some first-hand accounts of the fire, but I still have yet to finish reading everything, analyzing it, and doing the research necessary to prove that these… records are what we've been missing this whole time."

…..

"Yes. I'm really confident in the value and accuracy of these records. It was a really lucky find."

…..

"Yes, sir. Thank you very much."

Ikuto shut his phone and put it back in his pocket. It was going to be a long ride home, and if he wanted to get this investigation finished anytime soon, he needed to get in a well lit room where he could read as fast as possible.

* * *

Ikuto turned to the last page in the red diary. Well, the last entry, anyways. There were still many pages left untouched, but she didn't use any of them.

He had gone back to the beginning and read every single entry, but most all of them only contained her retellings of her crazy adventures and pranks with Ichigo and her other friends at the orphanage. It was amusing, yes, but it wasn't what he needed. He doubted that this last entry would be any different.

_January 15, 2005_

_I'm not even sure I can start with my whole 'hi diary' thing. I'm way too depressed. I was ripped away from my family again, but this time by adoption. Me and Ichigo thought our days at the orphanage would last forever, but we forgot about such a crucial detail as adoption. I don't even want to go. I don't even care if he's the richest man in the world (which, ironically, he is). As long as Ichigo can't be with me, I'll always be miserable._

_And what will he do without me? What will I do without him? What will we do without each other? I want to believe in Ichigo's words, that life will always have its advantages. But where? What advantage is there to being pulled away from everything you love? And not only for the first, but for the second time, too? _

_I don't only want to believe in his words, though. I want to believe in him, too. I want to believe that he was telling the truth when he told me he'd always be by my side, no matter who or what got in his way. But if that's true, why was I dragged into this long, expensive, and forbidding limo? Furthermore, why was I dragged into this stupid car without him sitting right beside me? Is it a bad thing for me to have lost my blind certainty in his words? I have no doubt in my mind that I'll love him always and forever. But now, without my willingness, I doubt his earnest words with every fiber of my being. _

_I'm aware that I sound like a depressed teenager. But if it wasn't for me not being old enough to be considered a teenager yet, that would be the perfect way to describe me right now._

_Looking back at this diary, I can't believe that this is my reality. Why was it only now that I finally stepped out of my world of make belief and lies? I was naïve, thinking that love could do anything. I'm still naïve, but at least I know now that words are deceiving. It's not that they can't be. That implies that they can be true if they want to, and dishonest when they want to. But in reality, such an idea is unrealistic. We don't control them, and they don't control us. Nothing and no one's in control. The minute a word escapes someone's mouth, it's direction and effects are unpredictable. Not even the word itself knows what will happen to it._

_I've never been one to sympathize or agree with the idea of being a damsel in distress, but I'll become one if it means Ichigo will come for me and prove that every word written in this entry was just my depressed and doubtful thinking._

_Of course, he's not the only one I'm going to miss. Rima, Nagehiko, Kuukai, Tadase, Kairi, Yaya, everyone. I'll miss all of them. Is it even possible to find friends as true as them? I don't think it is. _

_I'm not one to feel content when leaving someone I love, even if I know they'll be happy, and that they might even be better off without me. I'll be glad that they are happy, yes. But as long as I remember that I knew and loved someone, there'll always be a hole in my heart just waiting for them to return and fill it up again._

_I've come to the conclusion that this will be my last diary entry. Well, for this diary, anyways. I'm going to start a new diary, to start off with a new life. I'll also transfer the key from this diary to my new blue one, considering it might be a while until I decide to look back at this diary. It's painful, and I want to learn how to get by in life on my own, without such silly things as love and trust. But as long as I continue living in the past, that's not possible. But tell me, is it okay if I always live in Ichigo, and he lives in me? Probably not, but I don't think that'll ever change, no matter how hard I try. _

_Sorry for trying to throw away my past __just because it's painful,_

_Amu_

Ikuto was speechless. He was having flashback upon flashback of his later teenage years. But at the age of 11, such thoughts are disturbing. 11 year olds should be right in the between the happy-go-lucky stage known as youth and the I'm-better-than-you stage of adolescence.

But what stuck out most was this key she spoke of. He had never noticed a key in any of the diaries, but to be fair, he had only opened to the first page.

Ikuto jumped out of the chair in his living room and ran back into his small kitchen, where he had put the bag containing Amu's diaries in. He switched the diary with the blue one and opened it, not even bothering to walk back to his comfortable chair in the living room. The need to find that key completely engulfed his mind, pushing away even the idea of sitting down.

_January 17, 2005_

_Diary,_

_Yes, I'm just going to drop the whole Hi! part. There's no use in trying to spice up my entries with happy words anymore. Especially considering that I've decided that this diary will be different from most diaries, which is apparent by its lack of lines to write on._

_Keep my secrets safe,_

_Amu_

He continued on flipping through all the pages, only to find that instead of using words to express herself, she used drawings, poems, and short stories. Each piece was dated, of course.

Quick looks through each entry told him that as time went on, her depression only became worse and worse. Many contained a young, depressed girl with no where to go in life. A girl who wanted to be able to be the young happy girl she once was, her previous self that loved sports, happy and expressive art, and cooking delicious food and cleaning to help around the house.

And, surely enough, he could put his mind at rest. In the back of the blue drawing book she used as a diary, there was a small, rusted key taped to the inside of the back of the hard-cover.

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How about it? With the plot line of the rest of the story written down, I know what I'm going to be writing in the future. The issue is just getting it on paper in the form of a story and not a timeline. Anyways, as I previously begged, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. I hoped you enjoyed, so please leave your thoughts and any advice.


	13. From Your Precious Strawberry

A/N: Well, here it is. After about 6-7 months… Wow, I feel kind of pathetic now. If you want to know my excuse for having not updated, look at the author's note at the bottom. And while I'm writing this note, I want to say thanks to everyone who's taken the time to review: RoundAndRoundxKuruKurux966, Amuto20174, xXDrEaMsXCoMeXTrUeXx, Kiara Kitty Love, xXYoraXx, Ikuto'slover1112, Black_kimono_otaku, StrawberryMii-Chan, xAngelicNightmare, jazmyn, KekoNeko. Thanks all of you! Each review means a lot to me. So, now I'll stop wasting the time you could be spending reading the fic. Enjoy! Wait, and REVIEW PLEASE! And now you can enjoy!

* * *

Bzzz...

Half of Ikuto's class dramatically ooo'd while the other half started whispering to the person sitting next to them. He sighed at the immaturity of the students as he looked back to how he ended up in his current career.

His father had always been an amazing violinist, with a skill and passion that he passed down to his son. However, he had disappeared, and when reports of people finding his father's violin in a foreign country came rolling in, his mom remarried in the belief that he would never return. Her new husband wanted Ikuto to quit the violin, saying he would just end up like his father. Everyone, except his mom, knew that wasn't his real motive. He never cared about the young boy's feelings and best interest, or that of anyone else, either. Not even when his own wife finally cracked and was sent off to a "Permanent Residential Behavioral Health Hospital/Experimental Facility Unit," which was just a really intelligent way of saying "Mental Hospital Where You'll be experimented on and Stay in the Rest of your Life," did he shed even one tear.

No one could figure out his true intentions, but when the first excuse didn't work, his stepfather made a new one.

"You may not care if you end up like your father, but what about your little sister Utau? She's worried sick."

Ikuto just couldn't stand the idea of troubling his sister. She was clingy, obsessive, and love struck (for him, nonetheless), but she was still his last standing family member that gave a damn, what with the typical evil stepparent as his guardian and his own mother in the loony bin.

Once he brought up that excuse, it wasn't long before Ikuto put away the violin and switched from a school for the arts to a normal charter school. At the age of eleven, he had thrown away his last pleasure in life and ripped apart his happiness in return for his sister's smile.

He hardly paid attention in class during his days at the charter school. That is, if he even decided not to skip class.

When Ikuto stepped out on the stand to accept his diploma during graduation, he was accepting one that he felt he really didn't deserve. He hardly remembered anything he was taught, meaning even if he found a job, he would only be able to work sloppily with his lack of knowledge.

Luckily he still remembered most everything from his school for the arts, where violin wasn't the only thing they taught. He had learned to be a good drawer, though he knew that wasn't all there was to art. Therefore, he went to his stepfather and asked for some money to go to college, where he would work on perfecting his art skills.

At first his stepfather was hesitant to let go of so much of his precious money he had come to obsess over in the past few years, but when his stepson brought up the equation dorm+college=good riddance, he was more than willing to pay all of his expenses.

His whole life had come down to this. Waiting for each day to end, so as to rid his classroom from teenagers until school the next day.

"Mr. Lynx, was that your phone we just heard?" It took Ikuto a minute to recall the nickname. Amu never did end up using it...

"Now, now. No phones in the class. I'll punish you if you want, sensei," Rebecca, the blonde girl in the front row, flirted as she hopped out of her seat. She set up a low and supposedly sexy pace, making Ikuto slightly back up.

"That's enough, Rebecca. Now, everyone, continue working while I step out to check my phone." Many of the girls moaned in disapproval as he shut the classroom door behind him. Nevertheless, if this text was the one he thought it was, a room full of a bunch of hormone-driven teenage girls was not where he needed to be.

He whipped his phone out of his pocket and flipped it open within record time. He selected the 'receive text' button and held his breath.

"Results: positive

Area: section C

#: B-116"

* * *

"So you're saying that the key actually doesn't unlock the actual door?"

"Correct."

"Then what in the hell is this thing for?"

"It unlocks the password box."

Ikuto simply put his hands in his pockets and said, "Go on."

"Well, unlock the password box, enter the password using the keypad, and wa-la. Open sesame. Oh, and don't forget that only people who need maximum security take up a Section C unit, meaning that the renter changes the password every 2 weeks to a month. So good luck."

Ikuto's guide left, whistling a tune and pulling a DS from his back pocket, leaving the man alone to decode the password. Looking up at the large storage garage Amu had rented, he tried to imagine what kind of password the girl's twisted mind had come up with this time.

He slipped the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the heart-shaped lock. With a simple twist the lock popped open, revealing a small keypad.

'Now to come up with the password... It would probably be something meaningful to her...' he thought, running through all the things he knew were important to her through his head.

Ichigo... Incorrect password

Orphanage... incorrect password

Art... Incorrect password

Diary... Incorrect password

Adoption... Incorrect password

Family... Incorrect password

Past... Incorrect password

Memories... Incorrect password

Ikuto... Incorrect password

Pain... Incorrect password

Fire... Incorrect password

Nothing seemed to work, and Ikuto was running out of ideas. Ever since being forced into an adoption with Gozen, the girl had probably fallen into a non-expressive, which would explain her reluctance to share anything personal about herself.

Now that he thought about it, his guide had said every two weeks to a month… Where was she two weeks prior? She was certainly alive... and sitting in classes during school. However, she didn't seem to be one to let things like school influence her like that. Besides, she was always dazing off, detaching herself from her surroundings. The only things she seemed to be able to focus on were being a bitchy asshole (not to be rude) and staring at that one... that was it. Who knew such a small detail could end up being so vital to finding out the truth?

"The name of that painting, the name of that painting... Confined to the Inside!" he mumbled to himself before hurriedly typing it in.

Confined to the Inside... Incorrect password

Ikuto slammed his fist into the garage door, a growl of "Dammit!" escaping his lips. What kind of password would Amu use? What was going through her head when locking up her secrets? Secrets... With one last attempt, Ikuto lifted his hand from the garage door and typed in one last password.

Keep my secrets safe... Password verified.

Ikuto stood in shock as the door began shifting upwards so as to give the man access to the content in the garage. As the door lifted, Ikuto's heart almost stopped. Amu had taken the largest garage available to the whole rental area, a garage that would easily fit both his living room, kitchen, and bedroom back at his place, only for one little toy chest?

He slowly made his way across the garage, the chest growing bigger and bigger.

Five steps. Ten steps. Twenty steps. Thirty steps.

Yes, this chest was a lot larger than it looked. It was simple, nothing too fancy. A light pink chest with a baby blue top; the only other noticeable features was a small engraving on the side, Ichigo x Amu in a small heart, and some burn marks.

He slowly opened the chest and peeked inside, expecting to find a good size pile of treasonable items. The again, Amu did seem like the type to purposefully go up against one's expectations.

There were four items in total. A dark blue notebook, a small box, a small velvet bag, and a letter addressed 'Amu.' Why she needed such a big chest was a mystery to Ikuto. That is, until he reached down and gently picked up the envelope. With shaky hands and baited breath he flipped open the flap and pulled out a neatly typed piece of paper with a simple font.

_Dear love,_

_When the doctors told me you were in a 'coma,' I had no idea what they were trying to say. When I asked, they told me that you would be asleep for a long, long time, and that you might not remember everything that happened that night. So I decided to write you this note and put it in this chest, along with a few other things. Well, I'm typing it on a hospital computer using spell check and a dictionary and…well, it's spelled like Thesaurus, but who would want to name a book about words after a dinosaur?_

_I think I'll start with the chest first. It's a very special box, no matter what those meanies at preschool say. They just don't see the love in our… the dictionary says that it's called a carving, not a drawing. Well, pooey dictionary! What does it know? Plus it's in this box that you kept your diary recordings and that key-thingy in. But there is one more reason. You may not remember, but that night four days ago, but we were playing hide and seek before the fire started. It was a really fun game! This was the box you were hiding in when those idiots started the fire. If I hadn't have one the game when I did, the guys in the white jackets with the clipboards and those things that they listen to your heart around their necks said that you probably would have died from… is suffocation the word? That's what the dictionary says. But then when we got separated, I decided to go and take the chest outside before looking for you. When I found you, there were two guys around you who ran away when they saw me coming towards you. And you… you looked ugly. And broken. But I still love you! You had a lot of the red stuff that comes out when you get one of those booboo's all over you, especially on your tummy. So I carried you over to the box and we hided there together. Which was a good thing, cause those meanies who started the fire were still looking for us! Eventually we fell asleep, and then the police found us. Well, they said that when I fell asleep, you fell into a coma. But that's the same thing, right?_

Ikuto stopped for a second, resting his hand on the chest. Maybe it wasn't necessarily that the girl liked to go against other's expectations, but that the things important to her just happened to go against other's expectations. As he looked back, he noticed that all of the things in Amu's life that made sense weren't important to her. It was the things that didn't quite belong, or seemed unusual or seemed to be in an unusual place, that were most important to her. In addition, he was still in shock that it seemed that Ichigo had some guts. You'd have to be brave to tell a girl straight to her face that she looked ugly. He wondered if she hit Ichigo when she read that, because she certainly would have if it had been Ikuto instead.

_Now on to the little box! All I can tell you is that those contain your diary recordings. I can't tell you anything more about them, because I love you too much to listen to them without your permission. Well, actually, I can tell you that there will be some entries with me in it, where I joined in! But I hope that if anyone else manages to find those tapes, I hope they'll do the same as I am. Mommy and Daddy always said to mind your own business! And to keep our hands to ourselves. And not to run over the tulip garden. And to respect your elders. And to use nice words. And to take small portions at a time during dinner. And to eat our veggies if we want to grow up. And to wash our hands before every meal. And to wipe of your feet before entering a house. And to brush our teeth when we wake up and when we go to sleep. And to remember that snitches get stitches (whatever that means…). And to remember that bitches get stitches (yet she told us not to use that phrase in public no matter what, even though it makes even less sense than snitches get stitches…) And to leave the neighbors alone.. And to not steal cookies out of the cookie jar when you're not supposed to. And to wear a sweater when it's cold. And to not play in in the rain._

_And last, but definitely not least, the velvet bag. Open it up and see if you recognize anything in it._

Ikuto paused his reading and did as told, picking up the bag and untying the small piece of ribbon and emptying it's contents onto the floor. Two simple things fell out: a membership card to the Classical Violin Club and a beautiful key. A beautiful key that reminded Ikuto a lot of something his father had given him the day before he ran away…

"_Ikuto, keep this lock, and always keep it safe. It is more important than you might ever come to know. In addition, remember this: the person with the matching key is surely the one that's meant to be. I made the mistake of not following my father's directions when he gave me this, because I didn't understand it. Now I have to find a way to make it right. Don't make the same mistake I did."_

At the time, Ikuto hadn't understood what his father was trying to say. What mistake did you make? What do you have to make right? The next day, Ikuto was asking new questions. Why did you leave? What are we supposed to do now? Were we not good enough? But now, at the age of twenty, Ikuto was finally beginning to understand why his dad left. He didn't know exactly why, but sometimes when someone realizes they made a mistake, they just don't have the ability to wait until a more convenient time to make it right, even if you can't completely fix the problem. Was that not what he was trying to do with Amu? Try to make things right? Well, as right as those things could possibly become? Shaking his head, he looked back down to the letter, grabbing the key in his left hand and squeezing it tightly.

_Do you see that key? Do you remember? We found it on our very first date together! It was on a family vacation. Well, both our families. You know how close we were! We even lived in the same house. My family lived upstairs and yours lived downstairs. Anyways, I had promised you that for our first date, I would take you on a walk along the stream that ran across the few acres we were renting for our cabin. Then we had a really romantic dinner! We were able to choose between Kraft Mac & Cheese and chicken nuggets for the main meal, Kool-Aid and chocolate milk for the drinks, and Jell-O or chocolate chip cookies for dessert! But Mommy and Daddy said we couldn't use real candles, so I got one of those flashlights that have different colors you can choose them and we put that on the center of our table instead. Who needs dinner by candlelight when you can have dinner by flashlight? Anyways, on our walk along the stream, we found a sprite bottle with a beautiful key in it! Isn't it gorgeous? We've always treasured it. It's a symbol of our love! I know I'll always keep it precious._

_Now for the card. I found it lying next to you that night, after the two guys ran away when they saw me. I figure it belongs to one of those guys, but there's no real name. Just a nickname. I mean, what kind of parent would be stupid enough to name their kid "Violin911"? That's right! No parent! Unless they name their baby when they're like Mommy and Daddy after having been to one of those bars, or whatever they're called, and getting a drink called a Pink Flamingo. Weird name for a drink… _

_I tried taking it to the police for evidence, but they were poopy-heads and said that it probably had nothing to do with the case, and that finding it right next to you was probably just, well, they used a big word that I didn't really understand. I think it's coincidence, considering it sounds like what I heard and the definition in the dictionary fits with what they were saying… But I kept it anyways. It might come in handy later, who knows?_

_Well, I believe that's all that you need to know about what's in the chest. But there's still one more thing I need to say, even after I just that I've said everything you need to know about what's in the chest. I LOVE YOU! LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU! Hey, I said inside the chest. Last time I checked, I don't put my feelings for you inside a chest! Well, technically I do. My heart is inside my chest, after all… but you know what I mean! KISSES! HUGS! _

_Oh, and don't forget that as long as I live, I'm the only one who can make fun of you, tease you, pull pranks on/with you, and having staring contests and/or mind games with! That's my job! After all, no one can do it better than me _;p!_ And the only person who you can do those things with are me! No one else! For as long as I live!_

__

_From your precious strawberry,_

_Ichigo_

Ikuto chuckled. Ichigo had signed the last part in his own handwriting, even drawing a strawberry in a heart on both sides of the signature, with a drawing on the bottom of what looked like to people hugging. Actually, he guessed it was Ichigo and Amu. When someone so young draws a picture of someone, usually it comes out sloppy and unrecognizable. However, that last paragraph… no wonder Ikuto reminded Amu of Ichigo. Apparently, that used to be their thing.

With a sigh Ikuto slipped the letter back into the envelope and picked up the dark blue notebook. It had to be the written version of her art diary. However, looking from the letter, to the box of recorded diaries, back to the written diary, Ikuto put the notebook back down. He couldn't forget what Ichigo had said in the letter about minding your own business. It wasn't his place to look without Amu's permission, even if she was dead.

He only had one thing left to do. He took the contents of the chest and lined them up in one row, with a decent amount of space between each object. He took the letter out of the envelope, the stack of recording tapes out of the box, and didn't return the key and card to their velvet bag. Once he neatly lined everything up (including the container for the recordings, the envelope, and the velvet back), he slipped a simple point-and-shoot camera out of his pocket and took pictures of every single item. Including the chest. Once finished with that, he returned the letter to the envelope, the recordings to the box, and then the key and card to the velvet bag. Taking out his phone, he turned to 'notes' and typed in the password to the garage and the nickname found on the card. By the time he had shut the chest, closed the garage, and reached his car all the way on the other side of the Rental Garage Center, he knew what his next step of action would be.

He needed to find out the owner of that card.

* * *

_"Remember, fire and stones may break your bones, but still, they can never harm your soul. Remember that, and everything will be ok."_

"… _If you say so."_

* * *

Yay! We're getting somewhere! We know how Ikuto ended up as an art teacher, we know how obsessive hormone-driven teenage girls are, and we're getting a lot closer to solving this whole case. And that deep down inside him, Ikuto does have a conscious. And in case you don't make it all the way to the end of this note, I'll also say it now. PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! They make me a very happy girl. And a very motivated one, too.

Anyways, thank you all for reading this! I know I've been really bad at updating lately. Between SBO, editor of the yearbook, and the girl's basketball team, I was pretty busy. But I told myself I want to at least write and post this one important chapter over the summer, since I'm going to be even busier next year. I'm moving on from secretary of SBO to pres of SBO, I'll still be editor of the yearbook and on the girl's basketball team, AND I will be peer tutoring for severely autistic kids (and I mean severely. I'm talking about 10th grade kids who are still learning addition and subtraction. And some who can't even talk. It's getting me really excited!) and taking all honors classes. Hopefully we don't have to add anything else to the list. So if you've been wondering why I suddenly just seemed to stop writing, now you know. And you also know ahead of time why it might take a while to update once summer ends.

Though I've also been having some writer's block. I know what I want to happen, I've got the whole plot written and planned out. But I just couldn't seem to get it on paper! But these past few days I've been on a role. And last night, at 1 in the morning, I'm putting down my iPod touch after having finally finished a chap of It's Like He Sees Right Through Me and laying down to sleep when a way to write this chapter randomly hit me. So I picked up my iPod once again, opened up notes, and continued on with the two sentences I had written down. Not that you guys probably care about these last two paragraphs…

PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! They make me a very happy girl. And a very motivated one, too. And if you reviewed but I haven't replied, I'm sorry! I'm usually pretty good at replying, but lately I've had about two seconds to look at my email for reviews so that I don't get in trouble for not doing some of my online classes (at my school, they'll give us the option of taking some online classes. This year I took online Japanese, and I'm taking online health and P.E. so I have enough room on my schedule for the tutoring, yearbook, and the government class required for anyone who won a SBO office spot.)

Well, I hope you enjoyed this. I'm hoping that writing this chapter hasn't drained me of the inspiration to write the next chapter. And reviews are a very good source of fuel for me, too. Just saying.


	14. Updating

I know what you're probably thinking. "It's been almost a year since her last post. Why hasn't she updated her story?" Well, if you look at the bottom note of my last chapter, you'll find that it says that I hard a hard time updating because of my time being shortened due to being president of the SBO, editor-in-chief of the yearbook, and being captain of the girl's basketball team. Now, you would think that this year I either wouldn't be stupid enough to let myself take on so many responsibilities, and you would probably think that people would have voted another person to take on these responsibilities this year, if not all of them. But nope. Here I am, doing it once again. It's been an ongoing thing for the past three years (the first year I was just secretary on SBO and we didn't have captains for the girl's team, so it wasn't as bad).

It's true, I almost completely forgot about my life on fanfiction. However, we're lucky that I still use the same email linked to my account, so when Hinamori Ian posted a review asking about the continuation of this story, I saw it, and I remembered. Now, I really do want to update for those who read this fanfiction.

However, updating and writing another whole chapter takes time, something I just don't have enough of to spare. So I have a proposal. The yearbook is due April 1st, unless we get an extension until April 8th. But until then, if I can get 10-15 people to review saying they would like me to continue, I will try to start working on it again after the book is turned in. If there aren't enough reviews until then, I will give you until school gets out. I just need to know if there are enough people who would like it in order for me to find it worth the time and effort. I'm not saying I don't like it. I'm saying I'm limited on time, and by the time I get all my work done, I'm exhausted. I have to make sure it's worth spending my rare amount of free time on.

Luckily, I will count Hinamori Ian's review as a vote, so you already have a good start.

So yes, I'm trying not to completely leave you hanging. If you truly want to see the end of this story, please just take a few seconds out of your day to tell me that. With that being said, I shall leave you to begin submitting your reviews.


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